Asia Pacific
Lord of the Rights: brand war over Hobbit pub ends in licensing truce
Tribute-paying tavern and long-term rights holder come to terms over signage, décor and drinks options after cease-and-desist skirmish...  »
ACTA under attack in Europe and US as backers hold firm
European authorities have been asked to examine the anti-counterfeiting legislation following voting chaos. Meanwhile, US politicians have begun to campaign against the text, seeing parallels with SOP....  »
EPO project to push patent data beyond the language barrier goes live
First stage of machine-translation scheme makes its debut, with Japan lined up to join the next phase ...  »
Korea rising in IP league
South Korea is the world’s fourth-largest filer of IP Rights. Strong policy-making and a clear focus on IP management by Korean companies have been the keys to its success. Richard Young discovers w....  »
Facebook flotation filing highlights IP risks as significant threat
Social network’s application to go public reveals insights into the IP challenges faced by large technology companies...  »
What becomes of seized counterfeits?
IP experts have urged governments and companies to re-use – rather than dump – seized counterfeit goods. Nick Huber explains how two innovative schemes are using impounded fakes to benefit society...  »
Technology giants locked in new battle over mobile patents
Germany plays host to escalating rivalry and legal action between Apple and Samsung  ...  »
Highly inventive behaviour patterns
Matt Packer investigates the eccentricities and foibles that have spurred the achievements of some notable inventors...  »
EPO applications defy economic slump with record-breaking 2011
Strong figures on European patent filing defy global economic conditions, as EPO creates team to fine tune its policies for working with emerging markets...  »
IP commercialisation highlights the value of patent analysis
As the economic significance of patents continues to grow, it’s more important than ever for IP managers to have a clear understanding of the value of the assets they and their competitors hold.&nbs....  »