Syria became party to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works on June 11, 2004.
On June 15, 2004, Vietnam's National Assembly Passed a Civil Procedure Code. The Civil Procedure Code, which went into effect on January 1, 2005, regulates resolution of civil cases including intellectual property rights-related cases.
Kyrgyzstan became party to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol) on June 17, 2004.
On June 25, 2004, Russia's Prime Ministerial Commission for Protection of IPR held its first meeting under recently appointed Prime Minister Fradkov. The Commission continues to meet regularly.
Namibia became party to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Agreement) and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol) on June 30, 2004.
July
In July 2004, China's Customs General Administration issued new implementing regulations, which reduced the bond requirements for custom seizures of goods valued over RMB 20,000. The new implementing regulations also broadened the definition of bond to allow for a guarantee provided by a bank or a non-bank financial institution not just a cash bond.
In July 2004, the Government of Hong Kong successfully prosecuted an offender for selling illegal decoders, using the amendment to the Broadcasting Ordinance that went into effect in May, 2004 and sentenced him to three month's imprisonment. It was the first such criminal prosecution in Hong Kong.
In July 2004, Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department used the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO) to freeze the assets of a pirating syndicate worth $2.7 million. This is the first time OSCO has been applied to an intellectual property rights case.
In mid-July 2004, Jordan's Parliament began debate on amendments to the copyright law intended to comply with the Free Trade Agreement-compliant amendments to the law. The Government of Jordan passed the proposed amendments in December 2004, which now await a decision by the King whether to sign them.
In July 2004, Pakistan acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
In July 2004, the Government of Peru passed Law No. 28289, the law on the fight against piracy, which increased the minimum penalty for piracy from a two-year to a four-year sentence, with a maximum sentence of eight years.
