News & Insights
The Metaverse and trade marks – new world, same rules?
In October 2021, Meta shared a video on YouTube entitled “The Metaverse and How We’ll Build It Together — Connect 2021”.[1] Around this time, the company also announced its rebranding from Facebook to Meta.[2] The new company name seemingly signifies its focus on building the Metaverse. In the said video, Mark Zuckerberg refers to “an […]
April 14 2022
HEAVY RAINS & FLOODS: WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY?
Weather conditions of any sort have direct effect on the insurance industry. The severity thereof is, however, of particular significance for the industry, as the possibility of insured risk materialising heightens. At this point in time, this is particularly relevant in South Africa given the ongoing heavy and persistent rains. There have been reports, images […]
April 13 2022
Ghana - Strike Action comes to an end
We are pleased to report that the industrial strike action undertaken by the Registrar General’s Department and Industrial Property Office on 20 January 2022 has been called off and the Registry is back to full operational capacity
April 12 2022
Kenya - Roll out of the Anti-Counterfeit Authority Integrated Management System (AIMS)
On 23 February 2022, the Anti-Counterfeit Authority announced that they had concluded the migration process to the Anti-Counterfeit Authority Integrated Management System (“AIMS”), an online platform developed to facilitate the process of the recordal of intellectual property rights, and that the system would be rolled out on a pilot basis from 28 February 2022. The […]
April 12 2022
OAPI - Certain class headings under the International Classification of the NICE Agreement will no longer be accepted by OAPI
Certain class headings under the International Classification of the NICE Agreement will no longer be accepted by OAPI[1] On 28 February 2022, the Director General of the Organisation Africaine de la Propriete Intellectuelle (“OAPI”) issued a Circular Notice informing all users of its systems that with effect from 01 January 2022, certain class headings, which […]
April 12 2022
Egypt -New Financial Technology (Fintech) Law and Regulations
On 14 February 2022, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi signed the country’s first Financial Technology Law, No. 5 of 2022 (“the FinTech Law”) into law[1]. The FinTech Law is aimed at introducing the long-awaited rules governing the provisions of various non-banking financial services/activities by “concerned entities”, through technological mediums aligned with the Egyptian Government’s […]
April 12 2022
Egypt - Decrease in the Committee of Opposition’s turnaround time for decisions
Recent developments at the Committee of Oppositions in Egypt have resulted in a drastic reduction in the time taken for the Committee to render decisions. Whilst in the past it was common practice to wait in excess of a year for the Committee of Oppositions to render a decision, the Committee is now regularly rendering […]
April 12 2022
Copyright counterclaim falls flat – Ed Sheeran Exonerated
“There are only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music – coincidence is bound to happen if 60 000 songs are being released every day…that’s 22 million songs a year and there are only 12 notes that are available”. Ed Sheeran’s words certainly ring true, in light of the momentous victory […]
April 12 2022
Mauritius: Industrial Property Regulations 2022 promulgated and Industrial Property Act 2019 enters into force on 31 January 2022 and increase to Official fees
Trademarks On 31 January 2022, the previously promulgated Industrial Property Act, 2019 was proclaimed and came into force in Mauritius. The Industrial Property Regulations 2022, made under the Act, also came into force on 31 January 2022. The Industrial Property Act, 2019 is now a combined Act covering all industrial property related issues in one […]
April 11 2022
Kenya - The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2021
The object of the Bill is to amend the Copyright Act (hereinafter referred to as the “principal Act”), so that provision is made for a formula for sharing of revenue from ring back tunes between artists/copyright holders and the telecommunication companies. The Bill provides the following: the artist should get a greater share of the […]
April 11 2022
Algeria - Value Added Tax Effective, 1 January 2022
In accordance with the new finance law[1], a 19% Valued Added Tax is to be added on professional fees with effect from 1 January 2022. Therefore, all the IP matters in Algeria filed on or after 1 January 2022 and all pending matters that will be completed on or after the said date will be […]
April 11 2022
South Africa - Availability of Companies and Intellectual Property Commission Files- Status on file transition to a new bulk storage Facility
In terms of a Notice[1] issued by Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (“CIPC”), the handover project of moving 7.2 million Companies, Close Corporation, Trade Marks, Design, Copyright and Cooperatives files to the new storage facility was completed on 26 November 2021. CIPC has advised that official files will be unavailable for a period of 3-4 […]
April 11 2022
Zimbabwean Registry now up and running
In October 2021, the Industrial Property Automated System (IPAS) crashed, and this caused a devastating ripple effect on all matters at the Registry. The IPAS system has now been replaced and is now fully functional. Delays are however expected, particularly with clearing the backlog. Practitioners are looking forward to the Registry resuming normal operations[1]. [1] […]
April 11 2022
Ghana - Strike Action
In Ghana, the Registrar General’s Department and the Industrial Property Office have embarked on indefinite industrial strike action which commenced on 20 January 2022. These offices are closed, and all processes are halted until further notice. Due to the strike, no documents can be filed and there can be no following up on any pending […]
April 11 2022
Egyptian Patent Office - Transitional period to shift from a paper-based system to online filing.
In terms of Resolution No. 16 of 2022 dated 23 January 2022, the President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, has mandated that patent agents have from 01 January 2022 to 28 February 2022 to prepare themselves for online filing for all patent matters in Egypt. In terms of the notice, agents are […]
April 11 2022
South Africa - Nice classification – 11th Edition
The Eleventh (11th) Edition – Version 2022, of the Nice Classification of Good and Services, applies to all trade mark specifications with effect from 1 January 2022. The changes can be obtained from the official website of WIPO[1]. [1] www.wipo.int
April 11 2022
OAPI: Director General issues video statements via LinkedIn relating to the re-issuance of registration certificates
OAPI has recently uploaded, onto its LinkedIn page, five (5) videos of the Director General (“DG”), Mr Denis Bohoussou, addressing the media and agents on a number of issues[1]. Most importantly the Director General stated that all registration certificates which were signed by the Assistant Director-General during the period of the suspension of the DG […]
April 11 2022
Manufacturing of counterfeit products rearing its ugly head again in South Africa
The recent news reports of a manufacturing facility found to be selling counterfeit washing powder, have reignited concerns about the extent of the counterfeiting industry in South Africa. When you mention the word “counterfeit goods”, most people think about a few counterfeit sneakers or handbags making their way into South Africa in a container or […]
April 07 2022