How Creatives Can Protect Their IP | The AFI Cape Town Fashion Week

Jean Bruneau talks fashion and IP with David Tlale

At the #IPLiveBlog we love partnering with our clients to provide industry-specific advice and information. When African Fashion International (AFI) asked us to get involved to present a masterclass on IP protection for fashion designers at the recent AFI Cape Town Fashion Week, we jumped at the opportunity*.

Jean Bruneau from Adams & Adams presented with Senegalese fashion designer, Sarah Diouf (Tongoro) on the topic “Cultural Appropriation and Protection of Intellectual Property”.

Jean discussed the forms of IP protection relevant to fashion designers and gave a number of examples of disputes that have arisen in the fashion industry. For IP nerds, the Christian Louboutin red-soled shoes and the recent Pepkor Retail v Truworths Ltd 2016 ZASCA146 case at the Supreme Court of Appeal were of course discussed.

Huffington Post covered the presentation and put an article up at the following link.  Jean promises that he mentioned all five forms of IP protection in the talk (he says he has the slides to prove it).

See the video which reference about Sarah Diouf’s dispute with YSL and how she managed to resolve it.

embedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?vUxcyaUgcxBg#actionshare/embed

*Jean actually flew.