Commentary: Draft Intellectual Property Policy Phase 1 2017
Prof Sadulla Karjiker and Dr Madelein Kleyn recently submitted the following comments to the DTI on the Draft IP Policy Phase 1 2017. The full text of the IP Chair’s commentary may be downloaded here. Introduction The Department of Trade and Industry published the Draft Intellectual Property Policy of the Republic of South Africa Phase I 2017 (the “2017 Draft IP Policy”).[1] The Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, has invited interested persons to submit written comments on the 2017 Draft IP Policy by 17 November 2017,[2] and these comments are submitted in...
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 – Copyright as an Agent of Social Justice
THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED To watch the video podcast of the lecture, click here. The Chair of Intellectual Property Law will present the annual IP Public Lecture on 6 October 2015 with Prof Owen Dean, incumbent of the Chair of IP Law and consultant to Spoor & Fisher. The topic of Prof Dean’s lecture, Copyright as an Agent of Social Justice, will present a perspective on the “Lion Sleeps Tonight” case which was led by Prof Dean and marked a watershed moment in the development of South African copyright law. Introduction: Intellectual Property is viewed by some...
Read MoreIntellectual Property and the Constitution
Section 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that it is the supreme law of the country and that any law inconsistent with it is invalid. This provision creates the necessity to interpret the Copyright Act in a manner consistent with the Constitution at the risk of the Act, or particular provisions of it, being declared to be invalid. On the other hand, section 36 provides that the rights in the Bill of Rights (Chapter 2 of the Constitution, comprising sections 7-38, which detail the fundamental human rights) may be limited in terms of law of general...
Read MoreOwen Dean selected for Best Lawyers in South Africa in Intellectual Property Law Practice
The incumbent of the Chair of Intellectual Property Law, Prof Owen Dean, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the latest edition of Best Lawyers in South Africa in the practice area of Intellectual Property Law. Congratulations to Prof Dean. To be selected by one’s peers as a leading practitioner in your field is without doubt an honour worth celebrating, made all the more significant considering that Prof Dean has been retired from full time practice for some years. Prof Dean has been in practice as an Intellectual Property Attorney at Spoor & Fisher for more than 30...
Read More
