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  Panama becomes party to the Berne Convention.

A new copyright law enacted by Kazakstan takes effect.

A Romania copyright law enacted on February 20 takes effect. 

JULY

 A Hong Kong district court concluded the first piracy case tried under the enhanced penalty provisions enacted in May 1995. Two defendants were convicted, fined, and sentenced to short prison terms.

Nicaragua becomes a party to the Paris Convention.

A new Belarussian copyright law takes effect.

<li>The Venezuelan Government formed a special anti-piracy unit (COMANPI) to act as an enforcement arm of the copyright office.</li>

<li>A Singapore court sentenced two counterfeit software resellers to long prison terms, the longest sentences ever handed down in a copyright infringement case in Southeast Asia, for possession of counterfeit CD-ROMs.</li>

<li>A July 12 Panamanian Supreme Court decision provisionally suspended portions of Panama's 1994 copyright law that empower the Panamanian Copyright Office to conduct ex officio seizures of counterfeit foreign works.</li>

<li>On July 2, USTR initiated a Section 301 investigation and requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with India for its failure to fulfill the "mailbox" and "exclusive marketing rights" obligations of the TRIPs Agreement.</li> </ul>

AUGUST

<ul style="list-style-type:circle;list-style-image:none;"> <li>Czech Republic became party to Trademark Law Treaty.</li>

<li>China's State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) issued provisional regulations on the confirmation and administration of well-known trademarks on August 14.</li>

<li>Portugal amended its Industrial Property Code (Decree Law 141/96) on August 23 to make it consistent with the WTO TRIPs Agreement.</li>

<li>The Taiwan Ministry of Justice issued two letters to ProsectorProsecutor [sic] Offices to instruct them to (1) accept Power-of-Attorneys executed in conformance with the law of the state in which the foreign company is located when submitted by the foreign copyright owners or Taiwan agent and; (2) investigate and seek indictments of Taiwan nationals whose conduct on mainland </li> </ul>