An application for the PABLO ESCOBAR trade mark, designating multiple classes of goods and services, was recently barred from registration in the European Union, amidst concerns regarding morality and the public’s perception of the mark in Spain. The application was...
Blurb: Africa offers vast potential for businesses that have the right IP strategy to overcome the continent’s complexities. Africa is a continent of growth and opportunity, with the African Development Bank forecasting a steady increase in the continent’s gross...
Leon Trotsky is supposed to have said “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”. This may or may not be true in war, but it is certainly true in law. When a person goes into business, they immediately find themselves entangled in law. This is...
Hippo Advert Found Not Suitable For Children Valentine’s Day for Hippo was slightly unconventional this year. Instead of chocolates, flowers and dinner at a fancy restaurant, it involved onions, petroleum jelly, hot chillies and a decision passed down by the...
In September 2018, the Constitutional Court of South Africa unanimously ruled that the personal and private use of Cannabis, by adults, would be decriminalised. This meant that the ban on private possession and consumption as well as cultivation of Cannabis plants for...
We’re fond of the “tool kit” approach to Intellectual Property. This is where we encourage our clients to view IP not through the lens of a set of rights to be obtained for their own sake, but instead as a series of legal tools which can be applied to a number of...
Adams & Adams is very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Joanne van Harmelen as a new partner. Joanne joins Adams & Adams in March 2024, bringing her expertise as patent attorney in life sciences, chemical inventions and plant breeders’ rights to...
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom handed down its judgment on whether a machine (Dabus) powered by artificial intelligence (AI) may be an inventor in terms of the UK Patents Act. The Court was asked to consider two patent applications filed by Dr Stephen Thaler...
Last year, Zambia passed the Trade Marks Bill 2023 in an effort to revise its archaic trade mark legislation prescribed by the Trade Marks Act (Chapter 401) 1958 (“the Old Act”). The Old Act has been in force for more than six decades. The Old Act did not provide for...
Countries in Northern Africa, including Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt have been increasing their focus on anti-counterfeiting and protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. A seminar, following on from previous events hosted by AfrIPI, was held...
We have offices in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, please contact your nearest office for any legal enquiry or assistance.
