Gambia Publishes Missing Trade Mark Journals
The Gambian Intellectual Property Office has released 11 trade mark journals ranging in dates from 1993 to 2015. The journals were published by the Gambian State Printing Corporation on 1st February 2016. The published journals represent the trade mark applications filed in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2013, 2014 and part of 2015. This being the first time a large number of journals with varying dates have been published, there are no precedents on how app
MTN Ripping Off Composers Royally ?
The Composers, Authors and Publishers Association (CAPASSO) has recently alleged that mobile network provider MTN owes almost R1 million in music royalties dating back to 2014. MTN uses and sells music as ringtones or ringbacks through services such as Caller Tunez and the MTN Play Store. CAPASSO is responsible for collecting and distributing song-writing and publishing royalties to its members and claims that MTN has failed to pay composers their royalties due for music it s
IP Crime Unit in Zambia
At the 10th Session of the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement held in November 2015. The deputy Commissioner of the Zambia Police service presented a paper on the national strategy to combat intellectual Property crimes in Zambia. The paper found here, highlights strategies developed to enforce intellectual property rights by the Zambian Police Intellectual Property Unit. The Zambia Police Intellectual Property Unit (IPU), is unit of the Zambian police that is specialized
Validity of Selection Patents in South Africa
In a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, the court looked at the requirements of disclosure for the purpose of deciding the validity of a so-called “selection patent”. A selection patent is one which claims a specific subclass of a previously disclosed class of compounds, where the subclass has some special advantage which is peculiar to it as a whole. The main issue in this appeal was whether or not a generalised description (of the class) in a pr
Invalidation and Opposition Hearings Temporarily Suspended in Botswana
Invalidation and opposition hearings for trade marks have been temporarily suspended in Botswana due to a human resource shortaged in the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA). On 25 January 2016, the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) issued a notice on the processing and handling of trade mark opposition hearings and invalidations. The notice stated that CIPA was unable to conduct hearings for trademark oppositions and invalidations until fu
New IP Code for Mozambique
On December 31st the official gazette of Mozambique published the decree of the Council of Ministers approving a new intellectual property code for Mozambique. The last review of the IP code was in 2006 and it is said that this recent review was to accommodate the new challenges in the field. The review involved various stakeholders and is set to enter into force at the end of March 2016. For more information kindly contact Carole Theuri
Protection for Oral Literature in Kenya’s Proposed Traditional Knowledge Bill
Discussions around oral literature in Africa in most cases refer to the African cultural tradition of transmitting culture from one generation to the next through folk tales, songs, proverbs and poetry. The primary purpose being to teach the listener important traditional values, morals and livelihood techniques. Oral literature is not unique to the African continent, but where other countries have been able to preserve and protect their oral literature, very little has been
ARIPO-ACS39: The Proposed Road Map for the Arusha Protocol on the Protection of New Plant Varieties
On July 6 2015 a new protocol for the protection of new varieties of plants was adopted at an ARIPO Diplomatic conference in Arusha, Tanzania, see our post on it here. The new protocol, dubbed the Arusha Protocol was the subject of a further discussion at the 39th session of the Administrative Council in Lusaka, Zambia where the proposed road map for implementation was decided upon. The agreed upon road map for the adoption of the Arusha protocol for the protection of new var
Burundi Accedes to the Berne Convention and WIPO Copyright Treaty
It appears that the Republic of Burundi is starting to settle back into the normal course of business after the recent political unrest and joining into global commerce. This appears from the fact that Burundi has recently acceded to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the WIPO Copyright Treaty. According to the notifications issued by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) (which can be accessed here and here respectively),
OAPI Suspends Agents Opposed to Madrid Accession
Following the initial controversy that surrounded OAPI’s accession to the Madrid protocol and threats to withdraw accreditation for agents who were vocally critical of this move (discussed in an earlier blog post here), OAPI has gone ahead to suspend two agents from the law firm Cabinet ISIS. A recent notice on the OAPI webpage captured below and here sets out that Cameroonian lawyers Christian Dudieu Tips Djomga and Judith Samantha Tchimmoe Fezeu of Cabinet ISIS, as of Janua
