South Africa: Trademark

Mobile applications represent significant business investments comprising multiple forms of intellectual property, yet the underlying IP rights are frequently overlooked. Understanding how copyright, trade marks, design rights and patents interact in the mobile app context is essential to avoid ownership disputes, commercialisation restrictions and avoidable legal risk.

Many businesses invest heavily in building their brand before checking whether their chosen name is available, only to face costly rebranding when conflicts arise. A trade mark availability search and proper registration can prevent these expensive disruptions and protect one of your most valuable business assets.

As artificial intelligence transforms content creation across industries, businesses face mounting questions about transparency, consumer trust, and legal compliance. With the EU mandating disclosure of AI-generated content and South Africa developing its own AI policy framework, companies must navigate emerging risks around intellectual property infringement, misleading representations, and brand protection in an increasingly synthetic media landscape.

A Berlin court recently addressed whether AI-generated search summaries that reference trade marks constitute legal infringement, focusing on the critical distinction between aggregating third-party content and engaging...

When Mirra Andreeva wore a jacket emblazoned with "I want to thank myself" after winning the French Open, the phrase sparked more than social media buzz—it raised critical questions about when memorable words cross the line from cultural moment to protectable brand. This analysis explores the legal boundaries between quotable expression and trademark protection, examining how context, commercial use, and consumer perception determine whether a phrase deserves intellectual property protection.

The surge in demand for GLP-1 and GIP medicines—particularly those containing semaglutide and tirzepatide—has created significant commercial opportunity.

Digital platforms have transformed how intellectual property rights are enforced online, but when should rights holders rely on internal takedown systems versus formal court proceedings?

In March 2026, Estée Lauder launched court action in the UK Courts against Ms. Jo Malone, Jo Loves and ITX Limited, a company which trades as Zara.

As a trade mark attorney, few case studies illustrate the intersection of branding and protection strategy quite as neatly as the transformation of Lotus Bakeries...