Page:Special 301 Report 2004.pdf/41

  disputes by the Supreme People's Court," which made minor changes in its previous "interpretations" to better correspond with China's 2001 copyright law amendments.

Iran became party to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Agreement) and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol 1989) on December 25, 2003.

On December 29, 2003, Korea's National Assembly passed legislation to give underlying authority to the Korea's Media Rating Board (KMRB) to close loopholes that had allowed video and DVD pirates to exploit Korea's film and video rating system.

In December 2003, Argentina's Congress passed an amendment to the patent law to provide protection for products obtained from a process patent and to ensure that preliminary injunctions are available to intellectual property court proceedings.

In December 2003, Brazil held its first National Anti-Piracy Day, during which several well-known Brazilian recording artists joined political leaders to witness the televised destruction of half a million pirated CDs.

In December 2003, the Ghana Parliament passed five new IPR laws, including trademarks, patents, layout-designs (topographies) of integrated circuits, geographical indications and industrial designs.

In December 2003, Luxembourg passed a law implementing the 1998 EU Design Directive.

<li>Panama law No. 1 of January 5, 2004 was passed in late December 2003. The law raised penalties for IPR infractions.</li> </ul>

January

<ul> <li>The U.S. - Chile Free Trade Agreement entered into force on January 1, 2004.</li>

<li>A New Czech Republic Law on Consumer Taxes came into force on January 1, 2004, that bans the sale of alcohol and cigarettes in market stalls, and may help to curb the sale of illegal goods by reducing the profitability of such stands.</li>

<li>The Hungarian Patent Act was modified by Act XXXIX of 2003 and entered into force on January 1, 2004. The Act was modified in order to bring Hungary in line with EU legislation and the European Patent Convention.</li>

<li>Israel became party to the 1971 text of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works on January 1, 2004.</li>

<li>Namibia became party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) on January 1, 2004.</li> </ul>