Posts Tagged "problem"

DTI Dishes Up A Hopeless Curate’s Egg

Posted on Aug 5, 2015

DTI Dishes Up A Hopeless Curate’s Egg

The figure of speech used in describing something as a “curate’s egg” derives from a cartoon by G du Maurier published in the British humorous magazine Punch in November 1895. It depicts a meek curate, faced with a bad egg at the Bishop’s breakfast table, commenting that it is partly good. In other words it is something that is thoroughly bad but is discreetly said to be partly good.[1] “The term relies on an objective analysis and intuitive understanding of the depicted scenario: a self-contained egg cannot be both partially spoiled and partially unspoiled. To pretend to find...

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Let’s Pray for Mediocrity: Another Case of Legislative Diarrhoea

Posted on Aug 3, 2015

Let’s Pray for Mediocrity: Another Case of Legislative Diarrhoea

On 27 July 2015 the Department of Trade and Industry (“the DTI”) published the Copyright Amendment Bill 2015 (the “Amendment Bill”) in the Government Gazette, asking for public comment within 30 days from such date. Given the number of issues contained in the Amendment Bill that needs to be addressed, it will be almost impossible for one person to give comprehensive comments within the allotted time, unless that is their only task. It never ceases to amaze me how much time now has to be dedicated, by myself, and other academics and professionals, in trying to get legislation which is...

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Letting the Copyright Cat Out Of The Bag

Posted on Apr 22, 2013

Letting the Copyright Cat Out Of The Bag

The almost endless capacity of government to waste valuable resources by embarking on half-baked, and socially costly, ideas never ceases to amaze me.  What makes the situation deeply troubling (and, not just a little, ironic) is that they sometimes spend money employing consultants to tell them that they are wasting money on these enterprises.  If that were the extent of government’s failure in relation to its policy shortcomings, I could, perhaps, shrug my shoulders and attempt to be philosophical about such matters.  However, when government then proceeds to ignore (and, possibly,...

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A Different Ball Game

Posted on Feb 28, 2013

A Different Ball Game

Readers will have observed from perusing the articles on this blog that I have commented on a number of occasions on the proclaimed intention of the Government to pass legislation curtailing or prohibiting the use of trade marks on tobacco products, both on their packages and in advertising.  I have expressed the view that by so doing the Government will be depriving the trade mark owners of their valuable items of property which is at odds with Section 25 of the South African Constitution, unless compensation is paid for such depravation or expropriation.  In this regard see the items...

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Fire Fighting

Posted on Sep 28, 2012

Fire Fighting

Australia is notorious for being a country plagued by rampant bush fires.  Over the years, valuable agricultural land, forestry, residential areas and even towns have been threatened or wiped out by uncontrollable bush fires. These bush fires have given rise to considerable damage and even loss of life.  It is perhaps therefore not surprising that Australians should have a pathological fear of fire imbued in their psyches.  There is an involuntary will to fight fire whenever smoke appears. In a fresh desire to eradicate smoke by stamping out fire, the Australian government has reached a...

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