Spoor & Fisher
Protecting your product get-up: When packaging becomes intellectual property
21st September 2026 Standing out in a competitive market and attracting consumers' attention is not easy. To do so, the overall appearance of a product (known as the... →
The hidden trade marks in business GUIs, and how to make them memorable
26th May 2026 Digital business is the new frontier of modern entrepreneurship, and apps have become the gateway to almost every service imaginable. In a global... →
Feeling the Music: The case that put AI music recommendations to the patent test and what this means for South African engineers
By: Reuters 10th March 2026 In February 2026, the United Kingdom Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in Emotional Perception AI Ltd v Comptroller General. While the... →
Rethinking Disclosure: The Effects of G1/23 on Prior Art in a South African Context
26th January 2026 The Information that is made publicly available before a patent’s priority date forms part of the prior art. In July, the Enlarged Board of Appeal... →
When Seeing is Deceiving: The UK Supreme Court on Post-Sale Confusion
15th January 2026 The Iconix Luxembourg Holdings SARL v Dream Pairs Europe Inc decision offers guidance for fashion and lifestyle brands navigating trade mark... →
How Free is Mickey Mouse? Disney Draws the Line on Mickey Jewellery
19th November 2025 Mickey Mouse is making headlines, and this time, it’s not for his on-screen antics. Instead, the iconic mouse has stepped off the screen and into... →
How Nero Champagne went flat in court
27th October 2025 On 19 February 2019, Italian company Nero Lifestyle Srl (“Nero”) filed a trade mark application with the European Union Intellectual Property... →
Finding the “reasonable man” in law
22nd October 2025 The law sometimes references hypothetical persons, such as a “reasonable person” or the “average consumer,” as a measure of standard in law. These... →
