News & Insights
Africa Update 2020 - São Tomé and Príncipe
Registry Visit Adams & Adams’ Mozambique partner, Elio Teixeira, travelled to São Tomé in São Tomé and Principe in November 2019 to meet with the Registrar of the National Intellectual Property and Quality Service (SENAPIQ), Mr. Domingos da Silva da Trindade. We were encouraged to learn of the Registry’s computerisation project, supported by WIPO, which […]
October 13 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Rwanda
Trade Mark Renewal Exercise – Deadline Extended In accordance with Rwanda Law No. 31/2009 on the Protection of Intellectual Property (“the Law”) of 14 December 2009, all trade marks registered in terms of the old 1963 Act, i.e., trade marks registered before 14 December 2009, were to be renewed before the 14th of December 2019, […]
October 12 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Nigeria
INTA Workshop Promotes Further Positive Changes at the Registry Following last year’s release of the first-ever compendium of trade mark opposition rulings by the Registry, a workshop with senior trade mark officials was held in Abuja, in collaboration with INTA. Simon Brown (partner) and Kelly Thompson (partner), together with local lawyers and a team from […]
October 08 2020
Key Legal Aspects of Franchising Law
What is a license? A license agreement is a type of contract in which the proprietor of intellectual property would grant to a user or licensee the right to use that intellectual property. The relevant intellectual property could, for example, include patents, registered designs, trade marks, copyright, know how and the like, either individually or […]
October 08 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Namibia
Anti-counterfeiting training During May 2019, we travelled to both Windhoek and Walvis Bay to conduct Brand Identification Training with officials of the Namibian Ministry of Finance, Department of Customs and Excise. Two separate sessions were conducted in Windhoek and Walvis Bay, the initial session a theoretical one focusing on identification of counterfeit goods and the […]
October 08 2020
Copyright Protection Explained
Copyright protection and the laws surrounding copyright infringement are governed by the Copyright Act of 1978. Copyright is the legal protection of certain classes of original work. The owner of the copyright is given the exclusive right to utilise their original work as they choose, with sole authority to permit others to use it. Copyright […]
October 07 2020
Africa Update 2020 - Mozambique
Tommy Flange The Mozambique Trade Mark Registry has found in favour of Tommy Hilfiger Licensing B.V (the “Opponent”), on 23 January 2020, in an opposition against the registration of the trade mark TOMMY FLANGE, in class 25 filed by Hudsun (the “Applicant”). The Applicant is an entity that operates as a clothing store based in […]
October 07 2020
Understanding Digital Signatures in the Modern Business World
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but in an ever-growing digital world, this small but mighty weapon may well be on its way to extinction. Signing on the dotted line, may become a dying art. From stone tablets to ancient Egyptian manuscripts, signatures in various forms have been used to authenticate transactions since […]
October 01 2020
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