Posts by cobusj

Medals, Models & Moguls – The Fashion News Roundup

Posted on Sep 19, 2012

Medals, Models & Moguls – The Fashion News Roundup

In this special report, the VineOracle (IPStell’s personal pundit on all things IP) brings news (and her own brand of predictions) for the aesthetically minded visitor. And it is a star-studded cast of high-flyers (and fast swimmers) from Paris and New York representing some of the most exclusive brands. But do not be fooled by the A-list members on call, from what the VineOracle hears, these celebrities are prone to IP rights violations aplenty. Read on:   Michael Phelps caught double dipping on the IOC’s bill  The greatest Olympian in history retired from professional swimming at...

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Patently Wrong – The jury’s verdict in Apple v Samsung

Posted on Sep 17, 2012

Patently Wrong – The jury’s verdict in Apple v Samsung

All is fair in love and (patent) war, but apparently not when it comes to awarding damages in patent litigation. After nearly 18 months of protracted trench-warfare between Apple and Samsung’s formidable IP legal teams in the Northern District Court of California, Judge Lucy Koh surrendered the matter to a panel of 9 laymen (and women). A mere 22 hours later the (well rested and fed) jury had finished studying Judge Koh’s 109 page instructions and 26 pages of the parties’ juror forms, answered all 56 factual and legal questions and ticked all of the 250+ boxes of the baffling verdict...

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Form Over Function – ECJ Rules On Software Copyright

Posted on Aug 3, 2012

Form Over Function – ECJ Rules On Software Copyright

Seldom does a fact bear repeating as frequently as the maxim, “There is no copyright in ideas”. And despite the regularity with which this fundamental principle of copyright law is cited, its application remains a bone of contention. Since the Statute of Anne (1710), the common antecedent of modern copyright law, this creature of statute exists exclusively for the protection of the material expression of ideas, and not the underlying ideas, facts or discoveries contained in the work. For this reason, copyright protection vests at the moment a work is recorded in physical form, and only to...

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CIP on eTV News – Copyright in the National Anthem (VIDEO)

Posted on Jun 22, 2012

CIP on eTV News – Copyright in the National Anthem (VIDEO)

Copyright in parts of the National Anthem, as well as the composite work, does not belong to the State. This was the finding of Prof Owen Dean, incumbent of the Chair of IP, in a recent publication on IPStell (read more). The CIP’s research also found that copyright in the music of The Call (“Die Stem”) belongs to Prof JM de Villiers of the Department of Mathematics at SU. This story was awarded to eTV as an exclusive, broadcast on national and satellite TV on 20 and 21 June 2012, and followed by a LIVE interview with Prof Owen Dean. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The following...

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The Pot Of Gold At The Beginning Of The Rainbow

Posted on May 23, 2012

The Pot Of Gold At The Beginning Of The Rainbow

The Iziko South African Art Gallery is currently featuring an expedition entitled “A Centenary Celebration of the life and work of Barbara Tyrrell”.  Barbara Tyrrell is a South African artist and author and the exhibition comprises a selection of over 150 of her highly decorative and accurate visual reproductions of Southern African tradition costumes and tribal dress, as well as items of adornment.   The various subject matters comprise traditional South African art works and are themselves copyright artistic works. During the 1950’s and 1960’s Barbara Tyrrell undertook a journey...

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