Desmond Tutu Peace Trust forges ties with Chair of Intellectual Property
The Desmond Tutu Peace Trust (DTPT) has bestowed a great honor on Stellenbosch University by engaging the services of the Chair of Intellectual Property (CIP) at the Faculty of Law. The Chair has accepted the position of chief Intellectual Property Law advisor to the Trust and will in future be available to assist in all aspects of the Trust’s intellectual property rights management. The first mandate to the CIP is to advise the Trust during current negotiations with Google Inc and others. The CIP in its executive capacity (the IP Unit – Owen, Cobus and Sadulla) will provide its...
Read MorePublication: Sport as a Brand (Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports)
Owen’s article “Sport as a brand and its legal protection in South Africa” has been published by the quarterly Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports (March 2012, Issue 1, Pages 41 – 46). An abridged version of this article has been published by CIP earlier, and the full text is now available in the PUBLICATIONS section.
Read MoreThe Numbers Game – Trade Marks and Domain Names
On the Internet there is only one thing that really matters – prominence. It is the nexus of all factors that drive the ever-expanding cyberspace. In this world, the attention span of every visitor is measured in seconds, and the amount of traffic to a specific website measured with scientific precision. It is, therefore, not surprising (and a cause for concern) that trade marks are set to become a casualty in the battle for online supremacy. The fact that trade mark infringement on the Internet is a present danger is not new. However, few realise the extent to which the domain name system...
Read MoreThe press(ing) matter – plagiarism and copyright infringement
A journalist who cannot define plagiarism is nearly as useful as a bucket without a bottom. Similarly, while the nation is expected to rise in defence of the independence of the press (and rightly so), one might be excused for thinking that all members of the media are capable of independent thought. Unfortunately, judging by recent commentary on the SA Press Code, the captains of our printed media understand as little about plagiarism as the ruling party does about intellectual property law. While addressing a hearing of the Press Freedom Commission earlier this week, Barney Mthombothi, the...
Read MoreHow Intellectual Property Law Applies To Sport
Major sports are big business and vast sums of money are involved in staging sport events. This global trend was brought into sharp focus in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which provided an excellent example of the role that branding plays in major sports, both generally and more especially in South Africa., explains how best the law can be applied to benefit everyone involved. A long established organisation, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has developed a very clear policy for protection of brands relating to the tournament. This has come to the...
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