One work to rule them all?

Battle lines have recently been drawn, after fan fiction writer, Demetrious Polychron, filed a 250-million-dollar lawsuit against the Tolkien Estate and Amazon on the basis of copyright infringement. Mr Polychron claims that his novel, The Fellowship of the King, which draws inspiration from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, is a wholly original book and concept […]

Adams NewsJared de Canha

Ed Sheeran two-steps to victory in copyright dispute across the pond

Ed Sheeran’s victories continue to multiply, after a New York jury recently ruled that his song, Thinking Out Loud, does not infringe the copyright of well-known American song, Let’s Get It On, written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend. This 100-million-dollar claim was first brought by Townsend’s heirs in 2017 against Sheeran, his records label, […]

CopyrightIntellectual PropertyJani CronjéJared de CanhaTrade Marks

Parody in South Africa: addressing the Hippo in the room

A recent advertising parody has caused quite a stir at the watering hole, and left consumers questioning whether Hippo.co.za may have been out of line. The advert, which has already garnered over half a million views on YouTube alone, is a parody of OUTsurance’s “saver” advertisements that appears to spoof the original advertisements that featured […]

Intellectual PropertyJani CronjéJared de CanhaTrade Marks