The Madrid Protocol | 2020 Update
Although the Madrid system functions very well in most countries outside of Africa where IP laws are at similar stages of development and IP Offices utilize advanced technologies and maintain digital registers and systems, the reliance on the Madrid-system in most African countries carries with it a degree of commercial risk (the level of which depends on the jurisdiction concerned).
Chat Chat Chatterbot - Shall We Register Your Name?
So, you have birthed a chatbot and given it a name, what now? Should you register the name of the chatbot as a trade mark? The answer is a simple one, yes. If the chatbots are customer-facing, particu...
October 06 2026
Tacos, trade marks and the CHINGADA’S question: The curious case of a Cape Town restaurant name
I went to Chingada’s in Cape Town this week for Taco Tuesday. It is a striking restaurant: colourful, theatrical and deliberately Mexican in its presentation. As tends to happen when one encounters ...
October 06 2026
Your Brand Crossed the Border. Did Your Trade Mark?
Why foreign brand owners should protect their trade marks in South Africa By Amina Suliman and Ntethelelo Ndaba Your Brand Is Here. Are Your Rights? Expanding into a new market is exciting. Businesses...
October 01 2026