Thapelo Mmotong
The illusive class 32 – Design Protection Considerations for Shop Layouts in South Africa
Shop layouts play a significant role in attracting and retaining customers. The way a store or establishment is designed can have a substantial impact on consumer behaviour and brand identity. The risk of having your unique shop layout copied by competitors is a valid concern. In South Africa, an intellectual property instrument in the form […]
June 18, 2024
Fashion never goes out of style – then why not protect it?
Fashion trends come and go, but for designers who take their creative work seriously, protecting the intellectual property (IP) rights of a design ensures long-lasting value. Entrepreneurs in the fashion industry need to be made more aware of the benefits of obtaining registered design protection for their creative IP. Most tend to turn to legal […]
March 16, 2023
COSMETIC ON THE FACE OF IT? PATENTABILITY OF METHODS OF COSMETIC TREATMENT PRACTICED ON THE HUMAN BODY IN SOUTH
South Africa, just like many other countries, has a set of legal provisions pertaining to subject matter for which patent protection may not be obtained. For example, and relevant for present purposes, in terms of section 25(11) of the South African Patents Act (“the Act”), inventions which are directed to methods of treatment on the […]
May 27, 2022
The Machines Are Here – 3D Printing – A genuine challenge to Intellectual Property laws and rights holders?
Although 3D printing technology has been in existence for several decades, its recent proliferation makes it clear that never before as much as now, has this technology presented as acute a challenge to to Intellectual Property (IP) laws and rights holders, and to traditional manufacturing practices. The prolific rate at which 3D printers are being […]
February 28, 2021
Patent Protection in Information and Communications Technology
Innovations in electronic, mechanical and software technology are a dynamic and increasingly growing field, and as such protecting these inventions should be handled by a patent team who not only understands the market but has the technical expertise and experience for the most successful outcome. Local client-based solutions The Adams & Adams Information and Communications […]
November 29, 2020|
Providing Patent Services in Chemical, Metallurgical and Process Technologies
South Africa has a very active, and deeply rooted, chemical, metallurgical and process engineering industry that continues to contribute significantly to the country’s GDP. This provides fertile ground for market focused research and development work and, in this space, new technologies are therefore developed and commercially exploited at a rapid pace. Patent protection holds significant […]
November 26, 2020|
EPO decides on AI inventorship
The European Patent Office (EPO) has finally been given, and has taken, an opportunity to pin its colours to the mast on the question of how it would interpret its legal provisions, as they stand, on the naming of inventors in cases where inventions are asserted as having been created by artificial intelligence (AI).
February 5, 2020|
These ingenious African inventors are tackling the world’s worst water weed
Hya Matla Organics has found a way to deal with a plant that is choking Africa’s waterways, and Adams & Adams is leading the charge to protect their invention worldwide.
May 28, 2019
More than meets the (GU)I! – IP Protection for Apps
The demand for software applications, particularly mobile apps has grown at a phenomenal rate in recent years, fuelled in part by the ever growing use of smartphones globally. In 2018, it is estimated that 66% of individuals in 52 key countries will own a smartphone, up from 63% in 2017 (Zenith Mobile Advertising Forecasts). Meanwhile, […]
October 30, 2018