Esmé van Rooyen

The surge in demand for GLP-1 and GIP medicines—particularly those containing semaglutide and tirzepatide—has created significant commercial opportunity. It has also exposed a growing problem: the manufacture and sale of unregistered and potentially unlawful alternatives. Recent enforcement action by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) highlights the scale of the issue, particularly in […]

Copyright is one of the most fundamental – yet often misunderstood – areas of intellectual property law. At its core, copyright protects the expression of original ideas, giving creators the exclusive right to control how their works are used, reproduced, and shared. From music, books, and films to software, photographs, and online content, copyright touches […]

The City of Johannesburg Council issued a notice of its intention to consider the renaming of Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive in September 2024. The proposed name change has been met with widespread criticism by residents and businesses alike, but what are the legal principles that would regulate such a decision, and will the […]

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” William Shakespeare used this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant; however, in our modern fast paced society, driven by brands that are worth hundreds of millions […]

Trade mark protection is crucial for any brand owner, but it can sometimes create practical difficulties from a business perspective. When new trade mark applications are published by registries, information about a company or a brand owner’s new product or service is necessarily disclosed. As a result, brand owners often have to decide whether or […]