Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) signing ceremony held
On October 1, 2011, the signing ceremony for the Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was held in Tokyo. The agreement was signed by a total of eight countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and the U.S.A. In addition, representatives of the E.U., Mexico, and Switzerland were also present at the ceremony, expressing their support for the agreement and confirming that they will make preparations to sign the agreement promptly.
The agreement will hereafter be ratified in each country and is expected to become effective in 2012 at the earliest.
Regarding Intellectual Property protection in China as reflected in railroad accident
Concerning the bullet train derailment accident which occured in July 2011 in China, the Chinese government has been looking into the possibility of the cause being a signal system failure. The Chinese company which delivered the system claimed to have developed some technologies actually owned by foreign companies, and might not have had sufficient understanding of a technology with a "black box "design (to prevent reverse engineering). Part of the reason might lie in the fact that Chinese companies have not gained the full trust of foreign businesses that emphasize the protection of technologies and know-how.
Regarding developments in Apple's law cases
On October 5, 2011, Apple's founder Steve Jobs passed away. As developments in the multiple lawsuits between the company and Samsung Electronics, etc. are drawing attention, the presence of Apple's general counsel and senior vice president of Legal and Government Affairs Bruce Sewell, who leads the lawsuits, is expected to increase in significance. Since Sewell moved from Intel (U.S.A.) in 2009, Apple has been actively engaged in litigation.
Regarding Apple and Samsung's dispute over patent infringement lawsuits
Apple and Samsung Electronics are engaged in intensive worldwide patent infringement litigation, but it seems that there is a considerable difference in the number of patent applications and the areas of specialty of the two companies. Samsung Electronics is far ahead of Apple in the number of patent filings for communications technologies. On the other hand, Apple appears to be stronger in technologies related to LCD-screen operations. Judging by these factors, the dispute between the two companies will probably not be easily resolved.
