Seizures of counterfeit and pirated items reported last week include 30,000 2008 China Olympic products, mainly the official mascots…Fake hair products seized in India…Pirated DVDs and CDs also found in Indonesia, Malaysia and India… Large seizures of a number of counterfeit products, including cigarettes, have also taken place in the UK.

Cases last week include Yamaha Motor Co Ltd winning a landmark legal case against Chinese motorcycle makers who were using its trademark without permission… Also in China, a small brewery won a lawsuit against Pepsi Co for infringing the trademark of a drink it produced…In Russia a court has upheld a previous ruling of a fine against a school principal for software piracy after an appeal.

Policy developments reported last week include the Kenyan government passing an Anti-Counterfeits Bill to boost the manufacturing sector… The UAE ministry of Economy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Business Software alliance aiming to combat software piracy.

Studies and reports out last week include the Fourth Annual BSA and IDC Global Software Piracy Study which reveals that 35% of the software installed in 2006 on personal computers worldwide was obtained illegally.

General news last week reported that Dubai customs will host the Fourth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy taking place in early February 2008.