WHAT’S NEW IN THE LAW REPORTS?

The March issues of two Sweet & Maxwell publications, the European Trade Mark Reports and the Fleet Street Reports, have now been published.

The ETMR contains just three cases this month, but they are all whoppers from the European Court of Justice:
* Budejovicky Budvar Narodni Podnik v Rudolf Ammersin GmbH [2004] ETMR 243: what was the legal effect of pre-EU bilateral treaty between EU Member State and non-Member State concerning non-registrability of beer appellations?
* Ravil Sarl v Bellon [2004] ETMR 274: was the Italian law requiring cheese to be grated in Italy before it could be called GRANA PANADO was contrary to free movement of goods principle?
* Consorzio di Prosciutto di Parma v Asda and others [2004] ETMR 314: was the Italian law which required ham to be sliced and packaged in Parma region before it could be called PARMA ham contrary to free movement of goods principle?

The FSR, unusually, contains a United States case, the celebrated patent decision in Festo. The full list of cases reported in the FSR this month is as follows:
* World Wide Fund v THQ/JAKKS Pacific [2004] FSR 161: Court of Appeal – what is the effect of injunctive relief upon a third party is unable to make effective compliance with the injunction?
* Festo Corp v Shoketsu Kinzuko Kogyo [2004] FSR 186: This is the US Supreme Court ruling on the interrelationship between the doctrine of equivalents and file wrapper estoppel.
* Mattel Inc v Woolbro (Distributors) [2004] FSR 217: In this UK Patents Court decision Laddie J considers, in the context of Community unregistered design right infringement, whether similar fact evidence is of probative value.