South Africa: Licensing & Syndication

A Taiwan Intellectual Property Office decision demonstrates how trade mark protection applies to stylised single-letter devices when an earlier mark has gained substantial recognition through extensive use. The case examines Netflix's opposition to a similar stylised 'M' mark and explores the balance between protecting established brand identity and allowing traders to develop their own marks.

Expanding into a new market is exciting. Businesses spend considerable time planning product launches, negotiating commercial agreements, appointing local partners and pursuing growth opportunities.

Many businesses invest heavily in building their brand before checking whether their chosen name is available, only to face costly rebranding when conflicts arise. A trade mark availability search and proper registration can prevent these expensive disruptions and protect one of your most valuable business assets.

"Intellectual Property (IP) intensive industries such as South Africa's growing technology sector face various challenges with respect to cross-border transactions, including access to offshore

In an attempt to thwart the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the South African government published an urgent call for proposals (CFP) for the design, development, production,...

The current Exchange Control Regulations place restrictive controls on the transfer of South African owned intellectual property (IP) to any persons or entities outside of South Africa

A discussion on the important intellectual property legislatio, introduced by the government in 2008.

The way in which we keep up with the news has changed greatly overly the past decade.

Many of our clients ask us whether they need permission to licence their intellectual property outside of South Africa.