News & Insights
UK Provisionally Closes the Door on AI Inventorship
In an article of ours of earlier this year, we discussed the administrative rejection, by the European Patent Office (EPO), of two patent applications, both in the name of Dr Stephen L Thaler, initially for not naming any inventors and, thereafter, for naming an artificial intelligence (“AI”) system (named “DABUS”) as the inventor. As we […]
October 01 2020
Mauritius Accedes to the Lusaka Agreement Becoming the 20th ARIPO Member State
On 25 September 2020, the Republic of Mauritius deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Lusaka Agreement with the Director General of ARIPO. The accession of Mauritius brings the total number of states who have acceded to the Lusaka Agreement to twenty. Whilst Mauritius is now a full member of ARIPO it has not yet […]
September 30 2020
McFringement? McDonald’s take Hungry Jack’s to Court over the new Big Jack burger
On 31 August 2020, companies in the McDonald’s group filed a lawsuit against the Hungry Jack’s franchise in the Australian federal court. The Hungry Jack’s chain, founded by fast-food mogul Jack Cowin in 1971, consists of approximately 400 stores across Australia (in comparison to McDonald’s estimated 970 stores). These conglomerates have had a tenuous relationship […]
September 28 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Morocco
OMPIC and WIPO sign Memorandum On the 4th of October 2019, the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) concerning the promotion of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the field of industrial property. The objective of the MoU will see […]
September 28 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Mauritius
Mauritius – Good for Investment and IP Protection In line with its growing relevance as an upper-middle-income economy, Mauritius’ IP regime is getting a makeover. In the pipeline for some time, the new Industrial Property Bill was finally passed by Parliament on the 30th of July 2019 and published in the Government Gazette on the […]
September 26 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Malawi
The Launch of the National Intellectual Property Policy Malawi launched the National Intellectual Property Policy in May 2019. The Policy forms part of the government’s Growth and Development Strategy III, which has identified industrialisation and the structural transformation of the economy as a key priority area, essential to maintaining long-term growth and economic development. The […]
September 25 2020
Fancy a Cheeky Tanzanian Red (or White)?
Tanzania is well known for having an economically active agricultural sector, an abundance of natural gas and of course home to the brilliant blue precious stones. In June this year, a local small-scale miner became an instant millionaire after selling two rough Tanzanite stones to the Government for $3.4m. The gemstones has a combined weight of 15kg (33 […]
September 24 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Liberia
Registry Visit In November 2019, Stephen Hollis (partner, Adams & Adams) and Menzi Maboyi (Africa Practice Manager) travelled to Monrovia to attend the ARIPO Admin Council Meeting. They also visited our Associate Office as well as the offices of the Liberia Intellectual Property Office (LIPO). As LIPO was hosting the 43rd ARIPO Administrative Council Meeting […]
September 24 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Lesotho
Anti-counterfeiting search and seizure operations In February 2019, we travelled to and met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police – CID and his members with a view to obtaining their assistance in conducted various search and seizure operations in the Kingdom of Lesotho on behalf of various of our clients. As a result of this […]
September 21 2020
The Essentials of Intellectual Property in Fashion
Gucci, Versace, Prada, Valentino, Fendi… These are among some of the most elite and luxurious fashion brands in the world. They are brands which have been strategically exploited and brands which have been turned into gold mine assets for their respective fashion houses. As you might expect, intellectual property in fashion is important to understand […]
September 20 2020
Continued Impact of COVID-19 on Property Transfers
The impact of COVID-19 continues to spread across various sectors of our economy. The property sector is no exception. Although COVID-19 has negatively impacted the property sector by causing delays in finalisation of property transactions, the current prime lending (which is at a record low in 50 years) has made buying property seem more attractive. […]
September 15 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Kenya
New Managing Director of Kipi to be Appointed On Friday 29 November 2019, Mr Slyvance Sange’s tenure as the Managing Director of the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) came to an end. Mr Sange was appointed on 31 May 2014, initially in an acting capacity, but later permanently. Adams & Adams appreciated Mr Sange’s support […]
September 15 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Ghana
Registry Visit In November 2019, Adams & Adams partner, Stephen Hollis, and Africa Practice Manager, Menzi Maboyi,) travelled to Accra to visit our Associate Office, as well as the Ghana Registry. They met with the Assistant Registrar, Mr. Know Sessa Acquaye, to discuss Registry operations and outstanding matters. Mr. Acquaye provided an update on a […]
September 14 2020
How Does the Bond Registration Process Work in South Africa?
A mortgage bond is registered when an owner of immovable property uses the property as security to raise funds from a bank or other financial institution. This is either done when purchasing a property or when a property already registered in the owner’s name is used to raise funds. The purchaser will apply for a […]
September 13 2020
The must know principles of copyright protection in significant African territories
For a continent so rich in culture, music and creative works, surprisingly little is published about copyright law on the African continent, outside of South Africa. Despite much of it being in dire need of updating and reform, most African countries do have copyright legislation, however. This form of IP protection can be an incredibly […]
September 13 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Ethiopia
Online Trade Mark Filing System Introduced in Ethiopia The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has adopted an online trade mark filing system. The development was borne of an agreement between EIPO and WIPO to modernise the IP system in Ethiopia. The new system is expected to […]
September 13 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Eswatini (Swaziland)
Anti-counterfeiting training During March 2019, at the request of the Royal Swaziland Police, our Anti-Counterfeiting Team met with senior members of the Police to assist in developing and strategizing anti- counterfeit operations throughout Eswatini during April 2019. This meeting resulted in a Brand Identification Workshop being held with the Police during the first week of […]
September 12 2020
Primary Residence or Child Custody Law South Africa
A recently published report on Statistics SA has given insight into the divorce rate in South Africa; however, the report only reveals divorce rates up to the year 2018. The COVID-19 lockdown periods saw a significant (20%) increase in the number of divorce requests, while divorced and separated individuals struggled to navigate the blurred lines […]
September 10 2020