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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 ...

A recent copyright dispute involving media personality Ntando Duma and photographic agency Pixel Kollective has highlighted a common misconception about photographs and copyright. The dispute arose after a photograph, in respect of which Pixel Kollective owned the copyright, was allegedly used in...

A brand runs an on-pack promotion: buy a product, find the code inside, enter it on an app, and you might win a prize – from a free lunch to an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris. Thousands of people enter, and a winner is drawn. The marketing team would love to announce the winner with a photograph...

The world’s most famous and beloved showgirl finds herself in another legal battle at the intersection of her latest album title “THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL”, and a trade mark registration for “CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL” owned by Las Vegas cabaret artist, writer and podcaster, Maren Flagg (who perfor...