“Your mandate is to find a way, and to do everything possible, to enable the children of Solomon Linda, the composer of a song called MBUBE, which later evolved into the international hit song THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT, to derive some financial benefit from the considerable revenues generated by the popularity of THE LION SLEEPS […]
In this special World IP Day article, Prof Owen Dean revisits the theme of IP rights protection for sporting events in South African law, with a focus on the developments and the Cricket World Cup 2019 as an example. Introduction Major sports are big business and vast sums of money are involved in staging […]
On 25 April 2019 the Chair of IP Law, in cooperation with Innovus, will celebrate World IP Day with a public seminar on the theme Reach for Gold: IP and Sport. The seminar will include discussions on the sports nutrition, cutting-edge technologies in sports, high performance technology support, sport concussion diagnosis and the rise of […]
Prof Sadulla Karjiker, the incumbent Chair of IP Law, joined Hugh Melamdowitz, partner at Spoor & Fisher, and Wiseman Ngubo, head of legal and business Affairs for CAPASSO (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association) on Classic FM 1027’s Classic Business to discuss the diversity of views on the latest draft of the Copyright Amendment Bill. Listen […]
Prof Owen Dean discussed the recent controversy about the Ubuntu Baba baby carrier and a similar Woolworths product with Azania Mosaka on 702 Radio to explain how IP rights may find application in similar circumstances. You can read extracts of the interview, or listen to the full interview below, or visit the 702 page.
So called “state capture” is a concept which currently dominates current public discourse. It represents the usurpation and domination of the powers of the state by the Zuma/Gupta alliance. State capture, albeit in a different form, has occurred in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in regard to its custodianship of intellectual property. Beginning […]
The DOCERAM/CeramTec-case (C-395/16) is the first case dealing with the meaning of the “technical function” exclusion in relation to Community designs. The CJEU’s judgment provides an interpretation of Article 8(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 6/2002 on Community designs (the “Regulation”) – and hence, indirectly, also of Article 7(1) of Directive 98/71/EC on the legal protection […]
INTRODUCTION “Plagiarism” is a much misunderstood and misused term in common parlance. In layman’s terms, it is generally used to convey the notion of copying or reproducing the work of another in a clandestine manner. Although it is not specifically mentioned or perhaps even considered as an element, by implication it entails such misuse being […]
There is a common misconception concerning copyright works, namely, that the person who has commissioned the creation of a copyright work also owns the copyright in such a work. This article will illustrate that, in the absence of an express contractual arrangement, it is only in a limited number of situations that the commissioner of […]
In an attempt to circumscribe the range of “nefarious conduct”[1] that may amount to plagiarism, many resort to a discourse on ethical standards,[2] literary technique,[3] institutional values, citation methodology, copyright infringement[4] or theft.[5] Although these discussions, at least in part, approach a grasp on what plagiarism means, none are acceptable from a legal perspective. Moreover, […]
