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Tony Samuel, in the third of three articles on intellectual property value issues, considers some of the questions arising from the enormous growth in the worth of media and sponsorship rights in sport

A decision of special interest to the biotechnology community, Hitzeman v Rutter, 58 USPQ 2d 1161 (Fed Cir 2001), was delivered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC or Federal Circuit) on March 21. The case arose as an appeal from the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) Board of Appeals and Interferences and it involved a determination of who is entitled to receive a US patent covering the particulate hepatitis B surface antigen produced in yeast cells, which is an effective human vaccine against hepatitis B. Prior to this invention, it was doubted by informed scientists that satisfactory hepatitis B surface antigen for vaccine purposes could be achieved using recombinant yeast cells as host cells, since bacterial host cells transformed with DNA encoding the hepatitis B surface antigen had been shown to produce a non-particulate antigen having no capability to impart immunity to hepatitis B in humans.

A new set of amendments to the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China will enter into force in July 2001. Elizabeth Chien-Hale examines the revisions to the compulsory licensing provisions

Two of Asia's biggest names in IP have joined together to form a new specialized practice in Singapore. IP law firm Ella Cheong & G Mirandah and patent and trade mark attorneys Spruson & Ferguson Pte Ltd, the Singapore branch of Australia's Spruson & Ferguson, will be launched formally on June 6. But the new firm, Ella Cheong Mirandah & Sprusons, is already open for business. The link between the two Singapore firms was announced during the AIPPI congress in Melbourne in the last week of March. It is expected that all staff from Sprusons's Singapore office and from Ella Cheong & G Mirandah will join the new set-up. Cheong is retiring as a partner of Wilkinson & Grist, the Hong Kong law firm, and will chair Ella Cheong Mirandah & Sprusons.

Patent infringement litigation involves a large number of uncertainties. Alexander I Poltorak and Paul J Lerner reveal how to calculate the risk involved

One of the world's most valuable domain names has just got more expensive ? $65 million more. On April 3, a Californian court awarded $65 million to Gary Kremen, who originally registered the sex.com domain name in 1994.

Electronic filing is the future. The European Patent Office’s new website offers that and much, much more. James Nurton takes a sneak preview at epoline.org

The past year has seen a greater degree of maturity in the processing of trade mark disputes and predictability in foreseeing their outcome. Jeremy Phillips reviews 10 decisions from across Europe which symbolize the trend

Law and accountancy firms are coming under greater scrutiny in Hong Kong from April 1, under the new Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance intended to combat corporate piracy. Aimed at preventing bootlegging in places of public entertainment and combating corporate piracy, the new Ordinance targets those companies taking advantage of the loopholes in the law to avoid prosecution for copyright infringement.

The pharmaceutical industry has been given another month to sharpen its arguments as it challenges the South African government over patent rights. But it is also fighting against charities, the media and public opinion. Tabitha Parker reports