IP DAY

The world will celebrate the World IP Day on this sunday , April 26, 2009. On this day, we hope that the world will look at IP in a new light and will ensure that the same will be protected.

PIRATE BAY

A Swedish court has sentenced the four men who masterminded The Pirate Bay -- the world's most high-profile file-sharing website -- to a year's imprisonment. The four (Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde) have been convicted of criminal copyright infringement and must also pay 30m kronor in damages.

SPAIN SIGNS SINGAPORE TREATY

Spain has signed the Treaty of Singapore on Trademarks on Feb 18, 2009. It will come into effect in Spain of May 18, 2009. Together with Spain there are 10 other signatories to the treaty.

INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW

On February 12, 2009, the Parliament of the republic of Macedonia adopted a new Industrial Property law.

RELEASE OF TKDL

The traditional knowledge Digital Library has been released. This ambitious project has been brought with a desire to protect India’’s Traditional knowledge. The EPO will now consult the above before granting a patent. This will pevent many cases where traditional knowledge has been sought to be patented by those of other countires.

NEW CONTOLLER GENERAL APPPOINTED

Mr. P.H.Kurian, a malayali of the 1986 cadre of the IAS has been appointed the new Controller General of the Patent, Designs and Trademarks. This is historic in nature as it is for the first time that an IAS officer is being appointed.

All IP practioners are waiting with baited breath to see whether any changes will come about in the Registry’s. There are many much desired changes that are urgently required to arrest ineeficient maner in which the Registry’s are presently running.

A new change being noticed is that the examiners are writing their comments on a sheet of paper which is being attached with the examination report when being sent.

CRISTIANO RONALDO's TRADEMARK

The Telegraph today reported that Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Portuguese, has obtained a Portuguese trade mark for the mark 'CR9' fuelling speculation that Ronaldo will leave his current club Manchester United to play for Real Madrid. The newspaper states that Ronaldo, who currently plays for Manchester United wearing a No 7 shirt, has been promised the No 9 shirt by the Spanish club Real Madrid.