News & Insights
Nigeria sharpens copyright enforcement with asset-recovery powers
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has been designated a “relevant organization” under the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022, marking a significant shift in the country’s approach to copyright enforcement. This new status empowers the NCC not only to prosecute copyright offences but also to trace, freeze, seize, manage, and confiscate assets and […]
October 15 2025
Morocco and South Africa scale hydrogen R&D to grow local IP and industry
South Africa and Morocco are stepping up their investments in hydrogen research and development, aiming to position themselves as leaders in the emerging hydrogen economy. South Africa’s Vaal University of Technology recently opened a Center of Excellence for Hydrogen Energy, supported by Standard Bank, as part of the country’s long-term Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) strategy. […]
October 15 2025
Lesotho deepens IP reforms with ARIPO, targets key protocol ratifications
Lesotho is accelerating its intellectual property (IP) reforms through a high-level engagement with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO). In September 2025, the country’s Minister of Law and Justice led an official delegation to ARIPO’s Secretariat in Harare, Zimbabwe, to discuss strengthening Lesotho’s legal and institutional IP framework. The visit underscored Lesotho’s commitment to […]
October 15 2025
Côte d’Ivoire adopts a national IP strategy to power competitiveness
Côte d’Ivoire has taken a major step to strengthen its innovation ecosystem by adopting a comprehensive National Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy, approved at a workshop in Abidjan in August 2025. The IP strategy is structured around six key pillars: legislative reform, institutional capacity building, education and public awareness, anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy measures, protection and promotion […]
October 15 2025
ARIPO’s Kampala seminar advances audiovisual rights and treaty uptake
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), in partnership with WIPO, Fundación AISGE, the Global Audio-visual Alliance (GAVA), and Uganda’s Registration Services Bureau (URSB), hosted the 4th African Regional Seminar on Copyright and Related Rights in the Audiovisual Sector in Kampala from 10–11 September 2025. The event brought together representatives from collective management organizations, national […]
October 15 2025
No Pay, No Indemnity: Assignment-Only Settlement Does Not Trigger Coverage
In ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co. v. Pergament, an Illinois appellate court reaffirmed a core principle of professional liability insurance: indemnity is not triggered unless the insured becomes legally obligated to pay damages. The court held that where a doctor assigned his policy rights to a claimant but was expressly relieved of any payment obligation, the […]
October 15 2025
Network disruptions across the country
We were informed by our colleagues in Cameroon that their presidential elections took place on 12 October 2025. Since the elections there have been serious network disruptions across the country. This is expected to continue until the results are published, which may take as long as two weeks. Please therefore expect delays in communications regarding […]
October 14 2025
Urgent Newsflash: Operational Disruptions in Madagascar Due to Nationwide Strikes
Due to ongoing nationwide strikes and protests across Madagascar, including significant disruptions in Antananarivo, our operations are currently impacted. Daily clashes between demonstrators and authorities have led to road blockages, limited public transport, and safety concerns near our local associates’ office. The Registry is operating on limited hours and only when it is deemed safe […]
October 06 2025
INDIAN CASE SPOTLIGHTS HOW DOCTORS’ HANDWRITING CAN BECOME A LEGAL LIABILITY
Introduction In a widely shared judgment delivered on August 27, 2025, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in India, addressed a critical yet often overlooked issue in the Indian healthcare system—doctors’ handwriting. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri, while presiding over a bail hearing in a criminal case involving allegations of rape, cheating, and forgery, encountered a […]
October 03 2025
TRIGGERING THE EXCLUSION: HOW A FIREARMS CLAUSE SHIELDED AN INSURER FROM LIABILITY
A recent U.S. federal court decision underscores the power of exclusion clauses in commercial general liability policies—particularly those involving firearms. Facts of the case: Two patrons of a Georgia-based lounge brought lawsuits after suffering injuries during a violent incident at the establishment. One patron was shot, while the other was trampled in the ensuing panic. […]
September 30 2025
EMPLOYER IMMUNITY IS NOT ABSOLUTE: WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES POLICIES
Introduction A recent judgment from the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court provides a critical interpretation of Section 35(1) of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). It explores the limits of employer immunity under COIDA when tragic incidents occur in the course of employment—but not necessarily arising from it. Facts of the […]
September 19 2025
Re-instatement of companies and close corporations process digitised by CIPC
On 11 August 2025 the Companies and intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) announced that the application process for the re-instatement of companies and close corporations (From CoR40.5) has been fully automated. The upgrade forms part of CIPC’s mission to modernise and digitise the services it renders to the public, with the view of saving time and […]
September 17 2025
OAPI championing copyright to increase economic growth
OAPI, in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Government of Cameroon, hosted the joint regional conference in Yaoundé on 28 and 29 July 2025. The event brought together public decision makers, experts and cultural actors from Central and West Africa with the view of developing a roadmap to ensure that copyright is […]
September 17 2025
Launch of the OAPILEX database
Recently, the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) launched its online publicly accessible intellectual property jurisprudential database, OAPILEX. While the OAPILEX database contains limited content at present, due to it still being in the development phase, the long term goal for the platform is to provide the public with access to a wide range of materials, […]
September 17 2025
Biotech star stuck in court over who controls its most valuable asset
Early in August 2025, a Federal High Court in Lagos stopped the asset sale of biotech star, 54gene, which included the biodata of 100 000 Nigerians. The decision stems from proceedings instituted by the company’s founder, Abasi Ene-Obong, who alleged that the start-up’s lead investors engineered the startup’s collapse and sought to dispose of its […]
September 17 2025
Operations suspended at the Trade Marks Office
The Libyan Council of Ministers has recently transferred the jurisdiction of the Trademark Office to the Commercial Registrar. While no regulatory changes have been implemented, the Trade Marks Office has temporarily suspended the acceptance of trade mark applications due to the transition. Importantly, applications filed during this suspension will not be forfeited. They will be […]
September 17 2025
Kenya’s green energy ambitions lead to unprecedented production of e-bikes in Africa
It is official, Kenya is now the largest manufacturer of electronic motorcycles in Africa. The surge in the market is a direct result of the Kenyan government submitting a plan to the United Nations in April earlier this year, committing to a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, with a key focus being […]
September 17 2025
Harare Protocol enters into force in the Republic of Mauritius
On 27 August 2025, the Harare Protocol on Patents, Utility Models and Industrial Designs officially entered into force in the Republic of Mauritius. This makes the Republic of Mauritius the 21st ARIPO Contracting State to the Protocol. As a result, applicants making use of the ARIPO system can now designate Mauritius in their patent, industrial […]
September 17 2025