Seizures and discoveries last week include the resignation of the head of China’s food safety watchdog after the fake milk scandal, which caused the deaths of 4 and the poisoning of 54,000 children in the country… Hungarian customs officials have seized over €110,000 worth of fake branded clothing, shoes and accessories… Customs seized a 40-foot container in Belize, containing $4million worth of counterfeit cigarettes… Pirated CDs and DVDs were seized in a number of raids in Australia and the US.

Cases and outcomes last week include the first person in the US to be convicted for illegally sharing music online, Jammie Thomas, winning a retrial after the judge decided he had given incorrect instructions to the jury during the case… A man in the US has been sentenced to nine months in prison for selling pirated DVDs.

Policy developments last week include the US senate passing an intellectual property bill to provide more resources to fight intellectual property theft… Similarly the European Union member states agreed on a comprehensive plan to step up the fight against counterfeiting and piracy… In Malaysia, the health ministry is proposing a new bill to introduce stiffer penalties and mandatory jail sentences for pharmaceutical counterfeiters… Microsoft has dropped the price of its software in China by 70 percent for a limited time to try to curb piracy in the country.

Studies and reports out last week include a draft report from Uganda that revealed millions could be in danger from fake cosmetics and pesticides in the country.