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The European Commission has recently published a proposal for a Directive amending Directive 98/71/EC on registered designs by harmonizing the position in respect of spare parts. A spare part is a component part used for the repair of a product composed of multiple components, a so-called complex product, to restore its original appearance. Examples of such spare parts include car body panels, bumpers and windscreens which need to match the component being replaced. The proposal covers all repairable complex products, including household devices and electronic goods as well as cars.

On June 5 1998, the applicant filed an application for a Community trade mark at OHIM for a figurative sign consisting of the letter a (see figure 1).

April 1 2005 marked 10 years since the new Dutch Patents Act came into force. The old patents act of 1910 was phased out after a transition period of nine years on September 1 2004. After having been in force for 10 years, some of the upsides and downsides of the registration system under the Dutch Patents Act of 1995 (ROW 1995) have become clear.

Lawyers familiar with US rules on patent invalidation may find some familiar parallels, and some key differences, in the Japanese system. Yoshinari Kishimoto of Sughrue Mion provides a comparative guide

In early 2005 the IP Division of the Tokyo High Court issued an opinion that helped settle a long-running employee invention dispute between Shuji Nakamura and Nichia. It also offered crucial pointers for companies deciding how to compensate their engineers. Yutaka Miyoshi of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto explains what the court's interpretation means for business

Brazil: The Office of the US Trade Representative said that it will extend its review of Brazil's copyright enforcement practices under the Generalized System of Preferences trade programme. Acting after receiving a petition from the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the Office said that its review will last until September 30. During that time, the Office said, it will examine the effectiveness of the action plan issued by Brazil's National Council to Combat Piracy and Intellectual Property Crimes.

James Nurton, London

E-commerce is booming in Japan, and it is inevitable that disputes over search-related advertising, meta-tags and sponsored links will arise. Alan N Sutin of Greenberg Traurig, LLP examines the lessons that can be learnt from recent cases in the US

Yutaka Tozaki of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry explains why he believes companies should disclose far more information about their intellectual assets and how his department is encouraging them to do so

James Nurton, London and Sam Mamudi, New York