最新のニュースと洞察

Standing out in a competitive market and attracting consumers' attention is not easy. To do so, the overall appearance of a product (known as the “get-up”) should be distinctive. The get-up of a product encompasses far more than just a name or logo: it includes colours, packaging, shape, layout, ...

Zambia has taken a significant step towards stopping counterfeit goods at the border with the introduction of a new Trade Marks Act, but the new trade mark enforcement system will only become operational once the Regulations are promulgated. For years, businesses see...

Heritage Day provides businesses with an opportunity to celebrate South Africa’s culture, identity and heritage. For brands, it can also present an attractive marketing opportunity. The South African flag, local languages, cultural references and phrases celebrating local pride can all create pow...

There are two kinds of people: those who read dystopian fiction to feel frightened, and those who read it to feel prepared. The worrying part is when the two start feeling like the same thing. I recently re-read The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, written seventy-five years ago but as uns...

A recent UK High Court dispute between Estée Lauder Companies, luxury fragrance founder Jo Malone and fashion retailer Zara is drawing renewed attention to the limits of the so-called “own-name defence”. Both South African and UK law generally permit individuals to use their own names in good fai...

The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is an important work-sharing mechanism that can assist patent applicants to reduce prosecution timelines and, in some cases, prosecution costs, across multiple jurisdictions. The PPH network is expanding rapidly, including into African countries, making it inc...

As South Africans celebrated Bafana Bafana's return to football's biggest stage, demand for team jerseys and World Cup-related merchandise surged. While the tournament created valuable commercial opportunities for retailers and brand owners, it also provided fertile ground for counterfeiters look...

The guitar community has recently been engaged in the age-old tradition of arguing on the internet over whether Fender is right to protect its iconic Stratocaster guitar design, or whether decades of ubiquity have made the shape as much a part of guitar culture as it is a Fender product....

What does it take to turn a good idea into something that creates lasting impact? Often, it takes more than a breakthrough invention or an ambitious research project. It takes the right people, systems, partnerships and expertise to help that idea move from the drawing board into the world. Th...

While World Anti-Counterfeiting Day has come and gone, the challenge it highlights remains ever-present. In South Africa, counterfeiting continues to cost the economy billions of rands in lost revenue while authorities seize hundreds of thousands of illicit goods each year, highlighting that the ...