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...
Ramon Pereira
Bell tolls for Dabus Machine in the UK
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...
Curbing Enthusiasm for Junk Patents in South Africa
According to WIPO’s international patent filing statistics, the number of patent applications filed in South Africa in 2022 jumped by 63.9% compared to 2021. The South African Patent Office records indicate that this growth was mostly attributed to foreign applicants,...
Budding Breeders – Cannabis and Intellectual Property Rights
In 2018 the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that personal and medical marijuana use in South Africa was deemed to be legal, with the Court directing the South African government to put in place the necessary legal framework to give effect to the Court’s...
African expertise for patent and design prosecution in Africa
Protecting one’s rights to intellectual property in Africa is often regarded as overwhelming and complicated, due to differing legal requirements and a perceived lack of capacity in certain jurisdictions. A team that has African expertise and experience in patent and...
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