Meanwhile, General Motors stated last Monday that it would sell back 17.4% of its share to Suzuki Motor Corp. This decision was made by the large U.S car industry to boost its balance and improve its shared in the market. Moreover, GM has also been planning to sell a significant percentage of its shares from General Motors Acceptance Corp, its financial department. Among the rumored bidders is the Norinchukin Bank. Currently, Norinchukin is one of the leading financial companies in Japan. Other companies that expressed their desire to bid were Citigroup and Cerberus Capital Management. Citigroup is, currently, the biggest bank in the United States.

Global Trade Witness Some of the Most Important Trials

Finally, the four former administrators of Ahold faced the court on charges of fraud. Ahold was considered as the biggest supermarket and retailer in the world. Moreover, it served as an icon of success and stability in the business world. Yet this reputation was tainted when its former directors admitted to have falsified documents thus misleading several investors including the company's own accountants.

Microsoft Corporation also sought last Friday the aid of the U.S federal courts in order to pressure IBM, Novell Inc., Oracle Corp., and Sun Microsystems Inc. in order to hand certain documents necessary in its dispute against the European Commission. In 2004, EC fined the giant company after discovering that Microsoft used its position to damage the other developers of softwares, which are vital for printers, pass log-ins, and file access. The company, which did not yet fulfill its sanctions according to the EC, asked the case to be tried in Luxembourg. It was found out though that the other evidences asked by Microsoft pertained to the internal archives of the EC subject to its own rules and norms.

Netac Technology, based in mainland China, also made historical headlines last month after charging U.S company PNY Technologies for infringement. Although the news came as a surprise for many Americans, some analysts consider it as a harbinger of future possibilities in the technological industry. Many U.S and other foreign companies were also expecting that China would finally intensify its fight against piracy after experiencing the need to protect its own products and trademarks. Recently, China has received foreign complaints particularly a warning from the Washington regarding the widespread piracy in the Asian country.