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.

Later this year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is set to make available a wide range of new internet addresses.