With the sights, sounds, and festivities of the holidays, it is easy to forget that this could also a most profitable season for counterfeiters and identity thieves. This special edition examines the intellectual property issues that may creep up in the season of joy.

Get some guidelines for avoiding infringement lawsuits when recording or duplicating Christmas songs…learn how to avoid hazard-posing counterfeit Christmas lights…read all about another fake vodka seizure that may dampen the holiday "spirits" of UK drinkers…find stocking filler ideas for the counterfeit-conscious...get tips on fighting counterfeiters and identity thieves when shopping online or offline…and more!

Previous BPSpecials:

November 2008 – CyberIP: Protecting Intellectual Property on the Net

This BPSpecial edition takes a close look at the latest trends in online security threats…explores the benefits of the latest identity theft enforcement legislation…describes two advanced technologies for fighting online identity theft…examines the latest cybersquatting incidents and how brand owners can avoid being victimized…and recounts another law enforcement victory over cyber attackers.

October 2008 – Prescriptions for Countering Counterfeit Drugs

When it comes to counterfeiting, the pharmaceutical industry is ground zero. This BPSpecial edition takes a close look at the special danger of illegal pharmacies on the Internet…examines the patentability of second medical use claims…describes three new weapons in pharmaceuticals' brand protection arsenal…recounts some success stories in Africa's fight against fake drugs…opens the doors to a brand new anti-counterfeit laboratory in France…and more!

September 2008 – Inventions and IP: Why Protecting Ideas Matters

If necessity is the mother of invention, then intellectual property is its enabler. This BPSpecial Edition covers the latest IP issues and trends affecting inventions and inventors – from an analysis of licensing as a way of turning patents to profit…the best ways to protect an invention…enforcement stories on foiling trade secret thieves…the ABCs of maximizing an idea's IP and business value…and the continuing debate on software invention patentability. Great information for inventors and those dealing with inventions.

August 2008 – IP101: Lessons in University Intellectual Property

Universities and other institutions of learning are becoming the new battleground in the IP wars. This BPSpecial Edition takes you to campus, with stories on taking university IP from research lab to global marketplace…fighting for GMAT's IP rights – and integrity…balancing intellectual property protection with academic freedom…determining the rightful owners of patent rights to university inventions…ensuring hat infringement-curbing legislation doesn't cramp learning as well…and more.

July 2008 – Beijing 2008: Can IP Rights Compete?

New laws. Stricter enforcement. Cutting-edge technology. China is sparing no effort to reverse its rep as the counterfeit capital during its biggest national event. This week's BPSpecial features: China’s strategy to beat ambush marketers, new regulations enacted to protect Olympic signs and symbols, the rise of RFID as the go-to technology for large-scale events, law enforcement success stories in putting Olympic counterfeiters out of business, a new ticket authentication system…and more.

June 2008 – Smart Packaging = Smart IP Strategy

Despite the fact that not all brand owners are using or even considering security packaging technology, discover why today's facts and figures belie their thinking and prove one thing: that a smart IP strategy often starts with smart packaging. This week's BPSpecial covers: a new hard-to-fake, OVD-based anti-counterfeit technology, the USCBP operation that seized 2,000 AC/DC power adapters with fake UL markings, the Ferrero Rocher legal victory, the expense vs. investment security packaging debate…and more.

May 2008 – IP Plants the Seeds of Innovation

As counterfeiters go beyond fake software, handbags and DVDs to the seemingly innocuous world of agriculture…as new agri-biotech inventions take agriculture to the cutting edge…IP rights in this area have never been more critical. In fact, they've become the focus of new authentication technologies, patent infringement lawsuits and vigorous geopolitical debates. This week's BPSpecial puts the spotlight on: the danger of illegal seeds, the Monsanto patent enforcement controversies, patenting agricultural biotechnology inventions, new technologies for fighting counterfeit seeds, the Bayer CropScience patent infringement lawsuit…and more.

April 2008 – Growing Your Green Intellectual Property

Discover new vistas in patents, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property concepts that have been opened by the green revolution. What happens when counterfeiters get a hold of your eco-friendly product? What's the UK's Intellectual Property Office doing to make sure green innovation starts young? How do patents measure the growth of green technology? Does the Green Dot trademark conflict open the floodgates for other green-related litigation? Finally, does "greenwashing" equal counterfeiting? Our BPSpecial on green intellectual property answers these questions and more.

March 2008 – Scene Stealers: Why All the World's a Stage for…Piracy!

Even before the big night, DVD screeners intended for Oscar voters were popping up all over file-sharing networks. BPCouncil takes you backstage into the world of entertainment piracy. Our stories range from Nielsen's latest anti-piracy web tool and Nintendo's aggressive anti-counterfeiting campaign…to the EU proposal to extend copyright protection for sound recordings, the technologies behind Oscar piracy, and MPA's successful Operation Blackout initiative…and more!

February 2008 – Will China's IP Fortunes Change?

One step forward, two steps back encapsulates China's efforts in redeeming its good name in the world of brand protection and intellectual property. Discover Microsoft's new anti-piracy system to protect China's software industry's IP rights…the country's continually evolving copyright laws and their impact…the world's most wanted counterfeiter, new (encouraging) figures on China's electronic authentication market…the continuing allure (and chutzpah) of Silk Street…and more!

January 2008 – The Art of the Fake

In galleries, auction houses, online auction sites (and, can you believe, Costco?), there's a high surge in purchases of counterfeit art. Read about the famous "Bolton Forgers" who almost got away with it…a new guide for artists and designers on how to protect their creative work…new technologies that can detect fakes through the oil painting pigment…how Costco found itself a defendant in a counterfeit lawsuit…and how various personalities, organizations and enforcement agencies are working to stem the tide of art fraud.