News & Insights
AN SA TWIST IN THE 'COLA WARS' | COURT RULING
Author: Kelly Thompson The Supreme Court of Appeal handed down a landmark decision on Friday involving a trade mark dispute between two of the world’s largest beverage manufacturers, PepsiCo Inc (Pepsi) and Atlantic Industries (Atlantic), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company. This case was not your typical “cola war”, but rather involved TWIST, the […]
September 20 2017
USE IT OR LOSE IT! HOW AN ICONIC BUT FORGOTTEN BRAND WAS RESURRECTED IN THE USA
How a savvy entrepreneur resurrected America’s “original cream-filled chocolate cookie”. As far as podcasts go, NPR’s Planet Money is right up there with the best! Which is why we were doubly delighted to hear an updated episode regarding the resurrection of the Hydrox chocolate cookie which had a strong focus on the nature of trade mark rights.
August 29 2017
LOUIS VUITTON AND THE BASOTHO BLANKET | POWER FM
Iman Rappetti talks to Partner, Darren Olivier, and Associate, Maureen Makoko, about the upcoming Adams & Adams IP Evening Series, as well as the recent controversy over Basotho designs and well known fashion house Louis Vuitton as a case study. At a recent IP Evening Series event in Soweto, Darren explained that “fashion and crafts are a […]
July 26 2017
ROCK ON! HAND GESTURES AS TRADE MARKS
Hand gestures are a part of everyday life of a large number of cultures and civilizations. People use them to indicate approval, disapproval, pleasure or displeasure with something or someone. It is a shorthand method of communicating. Is a hand gesture a trade mark, or can it even be registered as a trade mark? The […]
July 25 2017
A SUGGESTED FRANCHISING PLAN FOR AFRICA
Africa needs to develop small and medium sized businesses across the continent. A good vehicle to adopt to substantially contribute towards this initiative, is franchising. This includes adopting successful and appropriate business systems and prudently locating them, so as to as far as possible ensure their success. The plan should commence with a study of […]
June 26 2017
REPORT | MADRID IN AFRICA
Memorandum on the effectiveness of International (MADRID) Registrations in Africa. Introduction The international trade mark registration system (known as the Madrid system) is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is considered to be a one-stop solution for the registration and management of trade marks worldwide. Brand owners from […]
April 24 2017
What Are Trade Secrets And How To Protect It?
A Trade secret is information that is useful in the industry and that is kept confidential. It is information that imparts value to its holder and one that provides a competitive edge over its competitors. Should information that constitutes as a trade secret be leaked, it could have a major negative effect on the business. […]
April 09 2017
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AS A TRADE SECRET
In June 2016, The Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Expressions of Folklore Act, 20161 (“the Act”) came into force in Zambia. The Act’s preamble indicates that the aim is to: provide for a transparent legal framework for the protection of, access to, and use of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and expressions of folklore […]
March 28 2017
IP Insights | GrowthHub
The founders of GrowthHub are building a community amongst the South African start-up scene that you should keep an eye on. They hold regular events and aim to add value to the start-up community by bringing in guest speakers from a range of sectors and offering entrepreneurs within the network the opportunity to showcase their […]
March 12 2017
CEO SLEEPOUT™ 2016 SUCCESS BY THE NUMBERS
The 2016 CEO SleepOut® took place on the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg. Adams & Adams is a proud sponsor and legal partner of the Trust and the event.
November 21 2016
Insights | King IV on Sustainable Governance and IP
This is the first post of a series dealing with the role of IP in corporate governance in the wake of the launch of the KingIV report in South Africa by the Institute of Directors earlier this week. The conference had well over 1000 business leaders based in Gauteng and a stellar line-up of speakers. […]
November 06 2016
DR DANIE STRACHAN
The Partners, professionals and staff of Adams & Adams congratulate fellow partner and colleague, Danie Strachan, who was today conferred a Doctorate in Law at a ceremony at the University of Pretoria. Strachan, who graduated from the University with an LLB (cum laude) in 2003, and was admitted as an attorney in 2006, examined the […]
September 01 2016
RISE TO THE CHALLENGE | CEO SLEEPOUT™ 2016
Adams & Adams COO, Dave Forbes talks to Jacaranda FM about the significance of the firm's involvement in the second Sun International CEO SleepOut™
July 26 2016
GOVERNMENT DECLARES THE CEO SLEEPOUT™ A PROTECTED EVENT
The Sun International CEO SleepOut™ Event is officially a ‘Protected Event’. Following an extensive application and thorough consideration, the Minister of Trade & Industry, Rob Davies, has declared the 2016 CEO SleepOut™ Event a protected event, under S15 of the Merchandise Mark Act 17 of 1941. This elevates the status of The CEO SleepOut™ Event to […]
July 24 2016