Bringing you the latest news and views from across Africa.
The Maldives is on the cusp of significant transformation in trade mark protection with the introduction of its first dedicated Trademark Act (Law No. 19/2025).
On 15 April 2026, the new regulations to the Consumer Protection Act came into effect. These Regulations fundamentally change how unsolicited electronic marketing, such as spam calls, SMSs and digital platform messages, are regulated under the CPA.
A new set of regulations has been published under the Agricultural Product Standards Act governing the classification, packing, and marking of mayonnaise, salad cream, salad dressing, and salad oil dressing intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa.
From the roar of the crowd to the split-second finish at the line, sport is built on performance. But behind every world record, lighter racket, smarter ball or faster shoe lies a quieter competition; one fought in research labs, design studios and before Patent Offices. Innovation is the unseen athlete of modern sport and patents are its medals.
The decision in Latib v Bonitas Medical Fund provides a clear cautionary reminder of a foundational principle of intellectual property law: only the owner of intellectual property, or a party authorised by the owner, may enforce rights in that property. Although the matter arose in the context of contractual and settlement disputes, the case ultimately turned on a decisive intellectual property issue.
The National Consumer Commission (‘NCC’) has delivered a significant decision which can only have wide-ranging implications for suppliers in the pre-owned motor vehicle industry. In a landmark enforcement action, the NCC has imposed sanctions against We Buy Cars (‘WBC’) for various contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (‘CPA), reinforcing the limitation of the supplier’s ability to contract out of statutory provisions which seek to protect consumers and their rights.
