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Intellectual property law and copyright law thought leadership, articles, podcasts, videos and webinars from expert sources across the legal world. Explore insights covering topics such as licensing and syndication, patent law, trade secrets and trademark law.

The Rise Of The DIY Patent: How South African Inventors Are Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands

Something remarkable is happening at the South African Patent Office. For years, the number of provisional patent applications filed directly by inventors-without a patent attorney-held steady at around 40 to 50 per month.

South Africa IP

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Adams & Adams

Patents, Innovation & Where The Law Draws The Line

Patents often get blamed when medicine prices make headlines - but without patents, many of the treatments we rely on simply wouldn't exist. A recent lawsuit involving Novo Nordisk and its diabetes drug Victoza...

South Africa IP

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ENS

Nikon vs Viltrox: A Simple Look At What This Patent Dispute Means

As a patent attorney's, we are often asked why companies can "open" a system and still sue others. The dispute between Nikon and Viltrox is a good example of how patents work in the real world.

South Africa IP

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ENS

CIPC Introduces Electronic Issuance Of Patents And Patents Of Addition

The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has confirmed that all patents and patents of addition will be issued electronically with effect from 2 February 2026.

South Africa IP

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Adams & Adams

Final Whistle – AFCON

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

The Kiddos vs. Chickees Packaging Battle

South Africa Media & IT

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ENS

AFCON Eliminations: Celebrating African Football And Intellectual Property Development

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Protecting African Innovation: A Catalyst For Scale And The Future Of IP

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Football And IP In Africa

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Adams & Adams

Strengthening African Intellectual Property Resources: Collaboration And A Shared Vision For The Future

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Commencement Of The South African Plant Improvement Act No. 11 Of 2018

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

James Dyson's Biggest Mistake

South Africa IP

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ENS

GoDaddy vs Express Mobile: A Pricey Website Builder Battle

South Africa IP

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ENS

The Never-ending Apple Watch Patent Battle

South Africa IP

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ENS

Minister Of Trade, Industry And Competition Issues Proposed Amendments To The Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Codes

South Africa Commercial

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ENS

Can Use Of An Email Address Be Trade Mark Infringement?

South Africa IP

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ENS

A Snapshot Of The National Minimum Wage For 2026

South Africa Employment

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Fasken

JSE Simplifies Listings Requirements

South Africa Commercial

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ENS

South Africa Removed From Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List

South Africa Government

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The Sovereign Group

General Increase Of Official Fees

In October, EGIPA also published various ministerial decisions affecting the official fees payable relating to the prosecution of applications, registrations, and maintenance of registrations in respect of patents...

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Strava vs. Garmin: Branding, Patents And The Battle For Data Attribution

In the connected fitness world, the biggest rivalries aren't just on the leaderboard, they are increasingly playing out in the IP office and the courtroom.

South Africa IP

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ENS

SA Patent Reform Underway: A Call For Balanced, Modern IP Laws

South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) has made a formal submission in response to the government's planned reforms of the Patents Act and Designs Act.

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Creative Destruction Isn't A Bug – It's The Growth Engine

This year's Economics Nobel went to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for explaining how innovation drives long-run growth and for showing, with unusual clarity, that progress works through creative destruction.

South Africa IP

BI

Barnard Inc.

Why SEP Holders Should Litigate In Africa

R

Rouse

OAPI Certifies "Malisogo" Label To Boost Malian Meat Exports

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Côte D'Ivoire Adopts A National IP Strategy To Power Competitiveness

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Patent Landscape: South Africa Leads Africa; Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria In Top Five

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

OAPI Doubles Down On Human Capital: 20 Years Of APIDE And GI Auditor Training

South Africa IP

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Adams & Adams

Lesotho Deepens IP Reforms With ARIPO, Targets Key Protocol Ratifications

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

South Africa Prepares Major Patent And Design Law Reforms

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Morocco And South Africa Scale Hydrogen R&D To Grow Local IP And Industry

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Re-instatement Of Companies And Close Corporations Process Digitised By CIPC

South Africa IP

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Adams & Adams

Increased Official Fees For IP Services In Zanzibar

South Africa IP

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Inventa

South Africa Prepares Major Patent And Design Law Reforms

South Africa is on the cusp of significant intellectual property law reform, with a new Patent Bill and Design Amendment Bill expected to be presented to the South African parliament in early 2026. The Department of Trade and Industry, together with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), recently hosted a stakeholder workshop on 23 September 2025 in Pretoria to outline the anticipated changes and gather feedback from the broader IP community.

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Morocco And South Africa Scale Hydrogen R&D To Grow Local IP And Industry

South Africa and Morocco are stepping up their investments in hydrogen research and development, aiming to position themselves as leaders in the emerging hydrogen economy.

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Re-instatement Of Companies And Close Corporations Process Digitised By CIPC

On 11 August 2025 the Companies and intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) announced that the application process for the re-instatement of companies and close corporations...

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Increased Official Fees For IP Services In Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Industrial Property Office (ZIPO) has implemented a significant increase in official fees for intellectual property services...

South Africa IP

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Inventa

The Unsung Innovators That The World Missed

South Africa IP

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Inventa

Lululemon vs. Costco: When Fashion Meets IP Law

Whether you swear by your Kirkland activewear or whether you are a Lululemon loyalist, this legal battle is stretching deep into the world of Intellectual Property.

South Africa IP

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ENS

New Plant Breeders' Rights Act Now In Force

The long-awaited Plant Breeders' Rights Act, 2018 has officially replaced the outdated 1976 Act, ushering in a modernised regime aligned with international standards (UPOV 1991).

South Africa IP

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ENS

Workshop Held As A Step Towards Recognition Of Seychelles' Honey As A GI

A workshop, facilitated by the EUIPO, was held in Seychelles in pursuit of recognition of Seychelles' honey as a Geographical Indicator.

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

ARIPO Ambassadors Engagement

In June, the ARIPO office held diplomatic engagements in Zimbabwe and South Sudan to enhance regional and international cooperation in intellectual property and advance discussions for South Sudan to accede to ARIPO.

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Plant Breeders' Rights Act In Force

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Introduction Of OAPI LEX – A Jurisprudence Database

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

ARIPO Joins UPOV Prisma

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

Protecting Confidential Business Information: Lessons From The Chicken Coup

South Africa IP

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ENS

Counterfeit Mobile Phones Destroyed

South Africa IP

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Adams & Adams

A Sanguinary Problem

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

OAPI-AGF Partnership To Finance A Thousand Innovative African Projects By 2030

South Africa IP

AA

Adams & Adams

ARIPO 2025: Key Changes To Patents And Designs

South Africa IP

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Inventa

New South African Plant Breeders' Rights Law Comes Into Effect

South Africa Government

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Adams & Adams

Understanding The Financials: Principled Negotiations During IP Valuation

South Africa IP

BI

Barnard Inc.

In-Depth: Principled Negotiations After Your IP Portfolio Has Been Valued

South Africa IP

BI

Barnard Inc.

The Apple vs. Optis Patent Dispute: A Lesson In Patent Infringement And Licensing

South Africa IP

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ENS

Compulsory Licences - The ALLCOPY Copyright Case

South Africa IP

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ENS

The Dangers Of Relying On LLMs For Invention Research

South Africa IP

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ENS

The X Corp (Formerly Twitter) Patent Infringement Drama

South Africa IP

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ENS

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Latest Videos

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Podcast | OFM Making A Case For Patents | Rowan Forster

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ENS

ENSafrica Webinar | How POPIA Affects Your IP (Video)

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ENS

GRM Search - Offshoring IP | 16 August 2017 (Video)

KI

KISCH IP

How To Protect Your Invention (Video)

KI

KISCH IP

Technology Transfer In South Africa

SF

Spoor & Fisher

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