South Africa: Copyright

A recent High Court judgment clarifies a critical misconception in copyright law: believing you have permission to use protected work is not the same as believing no copyright exists. This distinction has significant implications for businesses that routinely download and use photographs found online, assuming they are free to use simply because they are widely accessible.

Mobile applications represent significant business investments comprising multiple forms of intellectual property, yet the underlying IP rights are frequently overlooked. Understanding how copyright, trade marks, design rights and patents interact in the mobile app context is essential to avoid ownership disputes, commercialisation restrictions and avoidable legal risk.

As artificial intelligence transforms content creation across industries, businesses face mounting questions about transparency, consumer trust, and legal compliance. With the EU mandating disclosure of AI-generated content and South Africa developing its own AI policy framework, companies must navigate emerging risks around intellectual property infringement, misleading representations, and brand protection in an increasingly synthetic media landscape.

Digital platforms have transformed how intellectual property rights are enforced online, but when should rights holders rely on internal takedown systems versus formal court proceedings?

Platform takedown tools offer speed, but not legal certainty. This article examines the practical tensions between internal enforcement mechanisms and formal court proceedings for rights holders navigating online...

At the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa this past February, heads of state adopted eight key Annexes to the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), which was considered a transformative step towards a unified African innovation market.

The way we create art reflects how we engage with the world around us. For many artists, creation is rooted in personal identity, cultural heritage, and lived experience.

Aletia Oberholster And Fungi Tshabalala On AI Content, Copyright Protection And More

When people think of music rights, they often imagine recording deals and streaming platforms, but the real engine behind long-term revenue lies in Intellectual Property ("IP") rights in the song itself.