News & Insights
COVID-19 Labour Questions Answered
The enforcement of “lockdown” by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 27 March brings with it much uncertainty and unchartered territory, in all aspects of life. The full extent of this worldwide pandemic is yet to be seen, understood or experienced. Uncertainty is at the forefront of the thoughts of most people.
March 28 2020
Covid-19 Block Exemption for the Retail Property Sector
The Government has already taken swift action against the Coronavirus pandemic through regulations gazetted by the Minister of the Department of Trade and Industry (“the DTI”).
March 24 2020
Competing with COVID-19
We invite you to contact our Competition Law Team if you have any questions in relation to the COVID-19 regulations under the Competition Act, or any related matter.
March 24 2020
Is COVID-19 Force Majeur or Breach of Contract?
The impact of the highly contagious virus COVID-19 has forced the world to find a new normal as we navigate our lives around containing its spread as much as possible. How does this affect existing agreements and performance under these agreements?
March 22 2020
Mandatory mediation for all new High Court matters
As of 9 March 2020, parties are required to consider mediation for every new matter instituted in a High Court of South Africa.
March 17 2020
Official fee increase in Angola
It has been confirmed that official fees in Angola are set to increase. The Presidential Decree no. 62/20 authorizing the increase was published in the Government Gazette of 4 March 2020. It has been advised that the new official fees will come into force on 20 March 2020.
March 15 2020
Entrepreneurs to capitalise on SA’s budding cannabis industry
The South African cannabis market is poised to take off and local entrepreneurs should move industriously to secure their place in this prospective industry, says Pieter Visagie, Partner and Patent Attorney at law firm Adams & Adams.
March 12 2020
Adams & Adams crowned IP Law Firm of 2020
Adams & Adams has been crowned South Africa’s Intellectual Property (IP) Law Firm of 2020. Africa’s largest IP law practice received top honours at the prestigious Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) awards ceremony held on 5 March 2020.
March 05 2020
School deaths on the rise in Gauteng. Is there any legal recourse?
2020 has commenced on a negative note for the Gauteng Department of Education. 18 scholars have died under various circumstances since the beginning of this year. The MEC of Education in the province has expressed his sadness and even went on to call for supernatural intervention.
March 04 2020
Brexit Update | Bye Bye Britain
If your EU marks proceeds to registration before the end of the transitional period, you will automatically be granted mirroring UK national rights. On the other hand, if your applications are still pending at the end of the transitional period, you will have 9 months within which to apply for a mirroring UK application.
February 21 2020
POPI Act is good business practice
Whether the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act is law or not, data protection compliance has become good business practice, largely because of the reputational and financial risk, says Danie Strachan, Adams & Adams Partner.
February 17 2020
Constitutional Damages gains traction as public service delivery dwindles
The discussions surrounding the phenomenon of constitutional damages has been gaining momentum in the past few years.
February 17 2020
Nigeria | A second WIPO External Office in Africa on the horizon
There are currently 6 WIPO External Offices worldwide. The first WIPO External Office in Africa was successfully opened less than a year ago in Algiers, Algeria and preparations for the opening of a second WIPO External Office in Africa are underway.
February 13 2020
Weighing up Africa’s investment potential
A round-up of recent economic, political and legal developments and trends that have taken place in Africa
February 11 2020
Copyright Infringement in Cinematographic Films – TellyTrack versus Marshalls World of Sport (Pty) Ltd
The Supreme Court of Appeal recently delivered an interesting decision dealing with copyright infringement in cinematographic films. What makes the decision particularly noteworthy is the detail the court went into in analysing what constitutes a cinematographic film and determining the elements that make up a cinematographic film.
February 10 2020
EPO decides on AI inventorship
The European Patent Office (EPO) has finally been given, and has taken, an opportunity to pin its colours to the mast on the question of how it would interpret its legal provisions, as they stand, on the naming of inventors in cases where inventions are asserted as having been created by artificial intelligence (AI).
February 05 2020
Is Inventiveness a Matter for Experts?
Is Inventiveness a Matter for Experts? Sandvik v Outokumpu OYJ & another (879/2018) 2019 ZASCA 115 (18 September 2019).
February 03 2020
Bittersweet Symphony IP dispute resolved
The dispute that first piqued my interest in intellectual property law was between The Rolling Stones and The Verve over the song Bittersweet Symphony in the late 1990s. Richard Ashcroft from The Verve, sampled a few seconds from a song by The Rolling Stones to make up the distinctive string melody that plays throughout the track […]
January 26 2020