Uneven Reforms

The OECD report, “Going for Growth 2008″, is an annual study that measures the extent to which the world’s developed countries follow the OECD’s recommended strategies for promoting growth.   The study confirms the generally held notion that Americans work longer hours than Europeans.  This disparity, however, is almost entirely attributable to differences in women’s habits, with men tending to work similar hours on both sides of the Atlantic but European women working fewer hours than their American counterparts. In attempting to explain this finding, the report points to differences in the regulatory environment, specifically emphasizing the role of Europe’s higher marginal tax rates.

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Trademark Filings Reach Record High in 2007

This past year, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) received 39,945 international trademark applications under the Madrid System for the international registration of trademarks. That number, which is an all-time high for applications under the Madrid System, is a 9.5% increase from the 2006 totals, and, according to WIPO Director General Dr. Kamil Idris, indicates that “the Madrid system has earned the trust and confidence of the business community as a reliable option for brands seeking export markets.”

The WIPO-administered Madrid System for the international registration of trademarks provides a trademark owner with a cost-effective and efficient way to have a mark protected across countries. The system allows owners to secure and maintain protection for their trademarks in up to 80 countries by filing one application, in a single language , with one set of fees.

Notably, China was again the most designated country in international trademark application, as a result of increased trade by foreign companies there.

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Iran Safeguards Report Circulated to IAEA Board

On March 2, 2007, the International Atomic Energy Agency (“IAEA”) provided a report about Iran’s nuclear safeguards to its Board of Governors, its 35-member policymaking arm.  The report, which details Iranian nuclear developments that have occurred since November 15, 2007, is entitled: Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolutions 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007) in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  While the Board will discuss its contents during a meeting in Vienna on Monday, March 3, 2007, the report’s circulation is circumscribed, to be read and discussed only within the Agency unless the Board itself decides otherwise.  

Dr. El Baradei, the Agency’s General Director and a 2005 Noble Peace Prize Winner (along with the IAEA) defines the task in Iran as “[making] sure that the Iranian nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes,” and says that “in the last four months, in particular, we have made quite good progress in clarifying the outstanding issues that had to do with Iran´s past nuclear activities, with the exception of one issue, and that is the alleged weaponization studies that supposedly Iran has conducted in the past.”  A transcript of an  interview with Dr. El Baradei in regards to this latest report is readily available.

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