Steven Yeates

26 Feb 2026, Pretoria Leading African law firm, Adams & Adams has announced the election of its new leadership team under a refreshed management structure championed by outgoing chairperson Kelly Thompson. Dispute resolution partner Jac Marais assumes the role of chairperson from 1 March 2026 for a four-year term. Under his leadership of the commercial, […]

Following prolonged disruption caused by civil unrest in Sudan, the operations of the Sudanese Trade Marks Office (“TMO”) have been significantly affected over the past two years, resulting in a near-complete standstill in trade mark administration for an extended period. After almost ten months of inactivity, the Registry announced in early February 2024 that it […]

As we commemorated International Women’s Day on 8 March celebrating the social, economic and cultural achievements of women, Adams & Adams is pleased to announce that Kelly Thompson has been named as the first female chairperson of the firm in its 113-year history. Thompson, an experienced trade mark litigation attorney, is one of 28 women […]

What role, if any, do intellectual property rights have in discouraging cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation may loosely be defined as the borrowing of elements from a culture without the consent of people belonging to or observing that culture. Cultural appropriation frequently enters mainstream debate in the realm of haute couture.  This topic is where the […]