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Protecting format rights in the Middle East is really no different than anywhere else in the world. There are no formal provisions in the law here for the registration of format rights.

In a follow-up to their article in the October 2004 issue of MIP, V Walter Bratic, Shirley Webster, Stafford Matthews and Robert S Harrell examine the role played by patent pools in technology licensing, and consider some of the concerns raised by competition authorities

The Supreme Court will this month hear arguments in a case that will set the boundaries for what research is exempted from patent infringement. Lily Rin-Laures and Sandip Patel explain what the outcome will mean for researchers and patent owners

We hear all of the time that the internet has changed our lives. Well, it also has changed the way we practise law and has allowed us to obtain information about US patents, patent applications, and patent cases almost instantaneously. Such information enables us to answer our client's questions cost effectively. I have found that several of the US government-sponsored, IP-related websites are particularly helpful. Moreover, these sites are free and do not require an account set-up.

The government has announced that it wants to make a number of key changes to Korea's Patent Act. It is expected to submit a bill introducing the changes to the National Assembly in October 2005. The proposed revisions deal with the following points:

Keeping legal advice confidential is a crucial part of any litigation strategy. Des Ryan explains how recent Australian cases on privilege could force companies to re-examine how they seek guidance from their lawyers and IP specialists

Setting a royalty rate is an essential part of any technology agreement. Gareth Morgan considers the lessons from three recent English cases where royalty clauses were disputed

Emma Barraclough

The Singapore Patents Act deals with international patent applications that enter the National Phase in Singapore via PCT Chapter II (where the international filing date is before July 1 2004). Under the Act, the Patent Office must receive a copy of the International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER) before it can grant a patent. Simply issuing an IPER does, however, not guarantee that an international application is patentable.

Scientific research that looks for useful applications, processes, or products in nature is called biodiversity prospecting, or bioprospecting. In many cases, bioprospecting is a search for useful organic compounds in microorganisms, plants, and fungi that grow in extreme environments, such as rainforests, deserts, and hot springs. Malaysia, being one of the 12 mega-diverse countries in the world, and rich with biological diversity, is an attractive location for scientists to conduct these bioprospecting activities.