Reconstituting the Copyright Amendment Bill
Every golfer has had the experience of duffing a shot – driving the ball straight into a water hazard – and, having incurred a penalty stroke, hitting a perfect drive straight down the middle of the fairway at the second attempt. This has given rise to the golfing adage: Confucius say hit second shot first! In similar vein, Parliament has produced a horrendous piece of copyright legislation, but has now been given a second chance to get it right, without incurring any penalty. Will it take up and optimize this break, that is the question? Time will tell. THE ESSENCE OF COPYRIGHT Copyright...
Read MoreAuthors, you’ve got a friend?
INTRODUCTION The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives the following as a meaning of the word “friend”: “A person who wishes another, a cause etc., well; a sympathizer, helper, patron…” Carole King, the famous songwriter/performer, gives a good description of the characteristics of a friend in her iconic song, You’ve Got a Friend. The drafters of the Copyright Amendment Bill (“CAB”), which is currently before Parliament, purport to be the friend of creative persons, referred to as “authors” in respect of all kinds of creative works, including books, songs, paintings...
Read MoreProf Owen Dean peer-selected to list of Best Lawyers in SA
Professor Owen Dean, first incumbent of the Chair of IP Law, Emeritus Professor and current Research Fellow at Stellenbosch University has again been selected by his peers in legal practice for inclusion in the 8th edition of the list of best lawyers in South Africa in the practice area of Intellectual Property Law. The Best Lawyers ranking is widely recognised as the oldest and most esteemed peer-review publication in the legal profession and inclusion in the list is a significant honour bestowed on the recipient by their peers after a confidential process of peer review. Many...
Read MoreIP Public Lecture 2016 – Comparative Brand Advertising
THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED Watch the video of the lecture below. The Chair of Intellectual Property Law presents the annual IP Law Public Lecture 2016 with Charles Webster, partner at Spoor & Fisher and frequent contributor to the intellectual property law programmes (LLM, PGDip and Short Course) at Stellenbosch University. Charles’ lecture on Comparative Brand Advertising: the legal do’s and don’ts promises to be of significant value to all trade mark practitioners and brand managers and indeed everyone with an interest in promoting their goods or services in a...
Read MoreProf Mostert receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Prof Frederick Mostert, extraordinary professor at Stellenbosch University and Academic Fellow of this Chair, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Luxury Law Summit 2014 for his contribution to the luxury industry according to a report by the Global Legal Post here. Prof Mostert’s career as legal professional includes many significant contributions to legal development across the world, among others the recent landmark case involving a brand from the Richemont stable which resulted in a successful defence of IP rights in the digital environment. (This matter was recently...
Read MoreInterview: Prof Dean on Afropop Worldwide
Afropop Worldwide, the radio programme and online magazine dedicated to music from Africa, interviewed Prof Dean about his personal experiences during the protracted Mbube/Lion Sleeps Tonight case, how he managed to persevere despite a myriad of obstacles and his book on this case. The interview is part of the Hip Deep special programme series funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and is distributed by Afropop Worldwide to more than 115 radio stations in the USA, Europe and Africa. You can listen to the interview here or on SoundCloud below (at...
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