Pro Bono Contributions

Our partners are engaged in a number of pro bono matters, particularly in the advancement of the preservation of heritage and culture, but often purely to assist members of the public with IP enquiries. Among many others, we currently assist with the following matters on an ongoing basis:

The Gift of the Givers Foundation is the continent's largest non-governmental disaster relief organization with African roots. The foundation provides comprehensive disaster relief in a variety of contexts, including emergency aid, medical support, water supply, food security, education and welfare, infrastructure rehabilitation, and psychosocial support. Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman founded the Gift of the Givers Foundation. He is an extraordinary person who is deeply committed to humanitarianism. The foundation now serves humanity unconditionally in more than 45 countries, regardless of race, religion, or location.

They provide relief and development assistance to the most vulnerable individuals, restoring hope and dignity. To meet critical needs, they distribute stationery packs, food parcels, bursaries, and aid, as well as run water trucks and desalination facilities. The Gift of the Givers demonstrates compassion, efficiency, and a desire to make the world a better place.

We assisted the client in registering its trade marks GIFT OF THE GIVERS and GG logo.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa

The NPA is a key partner in the criminal justice system in South Africa. Its primary purpose is to charge and hold accountable those who commit crimes. By prosecuting offenders, the NPA ensures that justice is served and that perpetrators face the consequences of their actions. It contributes to maintaining law and order, upholding the rule of law, and safeguarding the rights of South African citizens.

The NPA’s work extends across various areas, including economic crimes, corruption, and violent offenses. We worked closely with the Sexual Offenses and Community Affairs (SOCA) unit of the NPA. It was established in 1999.

The main focus of the SOCA unit is the prosecution of cases involving the victimization of women and children. Other areas of responsibility include sexual offences, human trafficking, domestic violence, the management of young offenders and the enforcement of child maintenance orders.

The NPA and SOCA work together to uphold justice, protect vulnerable communities, and create a safer society for all South Africans. Their efforts contribute significantly to combating gender-based violence and ensuring that victims receive the support they need.

We are assisting the client in registering its trade marks TCC, THUTHUZELA, THUTHUZELA CARE CENTRE and THUTHUZELA CARE CENTRE logo.

Sam Nzima

We are assisting Mr Nzima in preserving and protecting his legacy and copyright in the famous Hector Peterson photograph that he took in 1976 during the Soweto protests. This includes monitoring use of the photograph by third parties; identifying infringing use of the photograph and/or people who may wish to use the photograph (“users”); engaging with the users to stop infringing use; setting up a licence agreement for use and/or continued use of the photograph to ensure that Mr Nzima’s estate is compensated for use of the copyright.

The Human Trafficking Institute Inc.

The Human Trafficking Institute Inc. (THTII) is a US organisation that exists to stop human trafficking. It partners with countries by empowering prosecutors, enforcement officers and social workers with tools, through its programs, to stop traffickers in their territory.  In 2023, the THTII achieved the following in countries it has partnered with:

  • Protected 918 victims

  • Arrested 633 traffickers

  • Trained 1,085 officials

We are assisting THTII register its trade marks in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda.

The Good Things Guy (Brent Lindique)

The Good Things Guy is an award winning platform dedicated to telling good news stories. It was founded by Brent Lindique whose small act of kindness, giving a homeless man a R20 meal and using socila media to pay it forward, inspired millions around the world to help those in need and give back. Today, the Good Things Guy is a leading source for goods news and insipirational stories. We are assisting with the registration of the trade mark THE GOOD THINGS GUY.

The Inam Autism Foundation NPC

The aim of the foundation is to educate the public about autism, facilitate acceptance and inclusion in society for those living with autism and to raise funds for autism research in the South African context and to make treatment and therapy accessible. We assisted the foundation to protect its trade mark THE INAM AUTISM ADVOCACY GROUP.