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Spain is a step closer to bringing its trade mark system into line with the rest of the EU after the Spanish House of Representatives approved the draft Spanish Trade Marks Act. The legislation will now be debated by the Senate for a final vote, with July 31 mooted for its implementation. Its key objectives include implementing the Madrid Protocol and the EU Harmonization Directive, TRIPs compliance, and introducing amendments that bring Spain closer to harmonization with the Community Trade Mark.

The copyright landscape for publishers has been redrawn by a landmark US Supreme Court decision in June that found the inclusion without permission of previously published articles in an electronic database constituted copyright infringement.

Proposed changes to licensing rules in China are expected soon. Shaojie Chi of CCPIT in Beijing examines the practical effects of the amendments

Oscar M Becerril, of Becerril, Coca & Becerril, SC in Mexico City, reviews the various options available for protecting container designs in Mexico

Judith Kerény, of Danubia Patent & Trademark Attorneys in Budapest, discusses some of the challenges of pharmaceutical patent litigation in Hungary

The Festo decision is arguably one of the most controversial to fall on the US patent landscape in recent times. It is deeply divisive, generating as much ardent opposition as it does adamant support. Patent lawyers, unsure of the way forward, now look in hope to the Supreme Court for guidance on this most vexed of issues.

When, in 1993, Czechoslovakia separated into two independent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, both republics incorporated Czechoslovak valid law into their legislation. As far as IP rights are concerned, the most important act was the Patents Act No 527/90. In the following years both republics were working on their own legislation and individual Trade Marks Acts were adopted. However, the work continued. International cooperation required substantial harmonization with legislation of the European Union and as far as patent law was concerned; the work was focused on substantial harmonisation with EPC.

Patent applications for business methods have dramatically increased in recent years. But, say Robert Cooper and Frances Sun, applying to patent business methods in Australia has been risky as there was a dearth of case law – until now

France: Lovells will merge with French firm Siméon & Associés, effective November 1. The combined Paris office will have 25 partners and more than 80 other attorneys.

Questel•Orbit reveal how to do comprehensive and precise prior art searches using the European Patent Office’s ECLA codes and the USPTO’s patent classifications