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May

 On May 8, Lithuania became a member of the WTO and obligated itself to fully comply with the TRIPS Agreement on that date.

Japan took measures to tighten its border enforcement against counterfeit goods, including the issuance of new guidelines to address the re-exportation of goods that infringe trademarks.

The Lithuanian Interior Ministry published an order establishing the guidelines governing the government's use of business software by all government entities and contractors, in addition to establishing a central software purchasing authority. 

June

 On June 5, the Czech Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police force, adopted a concept for the battle against computer crimes as part of the overall plan for combating organized crime.

Guatemala created a special IP Prosecutor's office to assist with rapidly responding to instances of IP violations.

Paraguay established the National Council for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights to create a more coordinated approach for the enforcement of IP laws among government ministries, law enforcement authorities, and industry representatives. </ul>

July

<ul> <li>The Indonesian Parliament enacted new patent and trademark laws, which increased fines for infringements, transferred intellectual property disputes to commercial courts, and combined all previous amendments into a single definitive text.</li>

<li>On July 12, amendments to Canada's patent law entered into force, providing a term of protection of 20 years for patents granted based on applications filed before October 1, 1989.</li> </ul>