Region: South Africa

Breakthrough in TRIPS covid waiver negotiations – here’s what you need to know

There are reports of a compromise deal agreeed by the US, EU, India and South Africa, but no official confirmation

16 March 2022

Lack of mRNA tech transfer “a blessing in disguise” for WHO vaccine team, says Afrigen boss

Petro Terblanche tells IAM about the IP issues surrounding her team’s new replica of Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine

10 February 2022

Talks over covid vaccine IP waiver appear increasingly futile

Saturday Opinion: The prospect of an international agreement on the proposed suspension of TRIPS now appears vanishingly small

23 October 2021

South Africa awards world’s first AI-invented patent, but it may not be that big a deal

The country's IP office does not subject applications to substantive examination meaning grants are virtually guaranteed if formalities are complied with

28 July 2021

All the big legal, market and deals news from the life sciences sector in June

In June’s round-up of life sciences-related news, we report on the US Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in the Helsinn Healthcare v Teva Pharmaceuticals Section 102 dispute, but not in the Cleveland Clinic’s Section 101 case against True…

07 July 2018

South Africa moves to substantive examination for pharma patents, amid fears system could grind to halt

New IP policy looks to get tough on evergreening in pharma industry but also brings country closer to international best practices.

15 June 2018

Criticism grows over World Cup prohibited marks

Controversy has surrounded the publication of a list of FIFA trademarks and words, which the minister of trade and industry proposes be declared as prohibited marks in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. Critics argue that none of these marks is unique to FIFA and the list could potentially lead to absurdities, such as making any 2010 calendar illegal.

10 October 2007

Supreme Court swings trademark law back to European roots

The Supreme Court has ruled that an advertisement for car polish featuring a BMW car did not infringe BMW’s marks. The decision not only brings South African trademark law further into line with EU legal practice, but has also been welcomed for ensuring that IP rights cannot be used to restrict competition in the market.

11 July 2007

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