Use BNA International's services to obtain accurate news and detailed analysis of worldwide legal developments in the following core areas: International Tax, IP, Communications and Technology and Business and Finance. http://www.bnai.com http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=279&obj=553&country=1 More than ten years ago, Bernard L. Bilski and Rand A. Warsaw filed their patent application entitled “Energy Risk Management Method” at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. After being denied a patent by the PTO on their method of hedging risk in the field of commodities trading, they appealed up through the courts and now their fate is in the hands of the nation's highest court. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=279&obj=553&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=228&obj=521&country=1 Microsoft Corp. had failed to properly challenge patent obviousness and damages decisions against it, and otherwise had failed to prove invalidity and noninfringement of a technology used by Microsoft Word, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Dec. 22 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=228&obj=521&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=262&obj=519&country=1 Telecommunications reform, including privacy amendments that require websites to obtain customer consent before placing “cookies” on users' computers, as well as provisions allowing the cutoff of Internet service to abusive file shares, gained final approval on November 24 with a vote by the European Parliament. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=262&obj=519&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=290&obj=522&country=1 Online advertising based on the presumed interests of consumers, discerned from their online activities, is under its second siege in a single decade. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=290&obj=522&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=230&obj=523&country=1 A coalition of more than two dozen advocacy groups called on President Obama in a Nov. 11 letter to quickly nominate individuals to serve on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=230&obj=523&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=305&obj=573&country=1 There is currently no dedicated legislation in South Africa that deals specifically with data protection, but this situation may soon change. The Protection of Personal Information Bill 2009 (the “Bill”) was recently approved by the South African cabinet. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=305&obj=573&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=237&obj=528&country=1 After a tumultuous year that changed the face of Wall Street, sent the credit markets crashing... http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=237&obj=528&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=241&obj=530&country=1 Section 101 of Title 35 identifies the statutory classes of patentable inventions as “any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.” http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=241&obj=530&country=1 http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=243&obj=552&country=1 The Patent Law of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was last amended in 2008, and the amendments will take effect from 1 October 2009. http://www.bnai.com/templates/maincontent.aspx?cat=243&obj=552&country=1