The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently announced plans for a public discussion that will address the issue of streamlining procedures governing patent reexamination.

Gary Locke, the U.S. commerce secretary, recently issued an official statement to mark the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day.

As part of efforts to mark World Intellectual Property Day, a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently launched a new public service announcement intended to discourage intellectual property theft.

The Chinese government recently kicked off an initiative to destroy pirated and illegal publications as part of an official nod to World Intellectual Property Day, which officially takes place on April 26.

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, a Jordanian senator and prominent advocate of intellectual property in the Arabic-speaking world, recently claimed the Middle East is on the verge of a "knowledge boom."

Despite its support for reform of the U.S. patent system, the Biotechnology Industry Organization recently called for changes to the patent reform legislation that was recently passed by the House Judiciary Committee.

In a move that will increase the pool of innovative technologies available to developers at network infrastructure firm Cisco, the company recently announced it has signed a new license agreement with WiLAN.

The Licensing Executives Society, a professional society made up of members associated with the transfer, use, marketing and development of intellectual property, recently announced a series of events set to raise awareness about the importance of intellectual property.

The World Intellectual Property Organization recently announced its international patent system has received 2 million patent filings since its inception.

In what may be a sign that the European economy is recovering from the recent global financial crisis, the European Patent Office recently announced patent filings reached record levels in 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Many businesses have been built on the foundation of a good idea or a new invention. For many, this has led to considerable profits. According to a recent study, however, many small businesses could be doing more to leverage their intellectual assets.

Recognizing the potential for profit in owning the rights to technological and other inventions, the Taiwanese government recently made plans to create an "intellectual property bank," according to a recent Intellectual Asset Management report.

In a recent SC Magazine report, cyber security experts James Denaro and Mark Ungerman claimed that a solid intellectual property strategy can help cyber security companies ensure their profitability.

The governments of the UK and the United States recently announced they have made progress on a joint plan to cooperate on patents.

Biopharmaceutical firm Royalty Pharma recently announced it has purchased the rights to royalties paid on sales of two pharmaceutical products, Lexiscan and Cubicin.

After much debate and discussion, the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently announced that it plans to launch a new, fast-tracked patent application option in May.

Applications for new trademarks and renewals of existing trademarks both increased steadily in 2010, indicating a recovery from setbacks experienced as a result of the global economic crisis, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The University of Minnesota recently announced it has signed a license agreement for an ecommerce framework that will enable the university to transfer technologies to startups.