On 13 July 2023, Mozambique’s Minister of Foreign Affairs deposited the instrument of accession, signifying Mozambique’s accession to the Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (“the Vienna Agreement”).  The Vienna Agreement will enter into force in the Republic of Mozambique on 13 October 2023. The Vienna Agreement, adopted in […]

The 2023 Netball World Cup was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa from 28 July to 6 August 2023.  It has been a landmark event for the continent as this is the first time that this World Cup was hosted in Africa. As with the FIFA Soccer World Cup that was hosted by South Africa […]

For those who may not be aware, in the last year, the plant-based food industry has come under fire in South Africa over using descriptive terms such as “burger”, “nugget” and “sausage” in relation to meat analogue products.  In South Africa, meat analogue products are foodstuffs that approximate the aesthetic qualities, which include the primary […]

Plain packaging for tobacco products? The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill has also been published for public comment.  As with the version of the Bill published in 2018, the Bill seeks, inter alia, to empower the Minister to make regulations that will, effectively, introduce plain packaging for tobacco products.  Although the deadline […]

On 21 April 2023, the Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (“the Regulations”) were published in the Government Gazette for public comment.  The Regulations propose a substantial departure from South Africa’s current labelling regulations set out in R146.  The Regulations introduce, for example, substantive changes to date marking and batch identification, as […]

The Narcotics Control Commission Amendment Bill, 2023 (“the Amendment Bill”) was, on 12 July 2023, passed into law in Ghana.  The passing of the Narcotics Bill is a significant event as authorises the Minister of Interior to issue licenses permitting, in Ghana, the cultivation of cannabis, as well as the exploration of the properties of […]

The ninth edition of African Exhibition of Invention and Innovative Enterprise (“Saiit”) was held in held Côte d’Ivoire on 24 to 26 July 2023.  The Saait’s theme shining the spotlight on intellectual property, innovation and entrepreneurship. The Saiit, which is organised by OAPI, is held every two years and OAPI member states take turns hosting […]

New legislation has been proposed in Ghana, the purpose of which is to establish a new Industrial Property Office in Ghana.  The Ghana Industrial Property Office Bill, 2023 (“the Bill”) is currently pending before Parliament and has a way to go in the parliamentary process before the Bill can be assented to by the President. […]

The much-anticipated 2023 Netball World Cup is headed to Cape Town, South Africa from 28 July to 6 August 2023 and will be the first Netball World Cup to take place on the African continent. Hitting the headlines this week was the news that Discovery has withdrawn Vitality as the title sponsor of the event, […]

In following on the successful operations shutting down a manufacturing plant of counterfeit oil and lubricant products in 2022 (previous publication at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jan-harm-swanepoel-563534136_adams-anti-counterfeiting-team-deals-another-activity-6963798312311271424-JGHP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios), our Anti-Counterfeiting team assisted the Police and the National Prosecuting Authority to achieve successful criminal convictions of the Accused persons. Both the Accused persons were convicted for contravening the Immigration Act and […]