Seizures reported last week include the largest ever seizure of fake maotai, a Chinese alcoholic spirit, in the far west of the country… Seizures of pirated DVD’s and CD’s have taken place in Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia, UK and the US… Counterfeit and dangerous medicines have also been seized in Morocco and Nigeria.

Cases and Outcomes reported last week include the Supreme Court handing movie studios and record labels a sweeping victory against file swapping, ruling that peer-to-peer companies such as Grokster could be held responsible for the copyright piracy on their networks… The Pirate Bay has filed a criminal complaint against entertainment firms over alleged attacks against the controversial file sharing tracker site… In Germany last week the upper house of parliament approved a controversial new copyright law that makes it illegal for individuals to make copies of music and movies if they were obtained illegally… Tobacco manufacturer Phillip Morris has filed lawsuits against retailers selling counterfeit versions of the company's Marlboro cigarettes; the company filed three suits against 105 retailers in federal courts.

Policy developments last week include the WTO opening a formal investigation into allegations China is providing a safe haven for product piracy and counterfeiting, the most far-reaching of four trade disputes between Washington and Beijing. In Canada Four leading music industry organizations, representing Canadian artist managers, music publishers and record labels of all sizes, have urged the federal government to make copyright reform and other intellectual property rights measures priorities due to piracy.