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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.
The North West High Court recently decided in favor of the protection of a company’s confidential information and trade secrets involving two former senior employees. DISPRO TECH SA (PTY) LTD (the applicant), a specialist gas emission testing company in the mining sector (one of its kind in South Africa), approached the court after discovering that two of its former senior employees established a competing business shortly after leaving employment.
The Unified Patent Court (UPC) has changed European patent litigation from a set of national contests into a single high-stakes forum in many cases. For South African practitioners and clients who file through the EPO, this is significant since claim construction now affects both pan-European enforcement and pan-European revocation. During the transitional period (until 31 May 2030), conventional European patents may still be litigated nationally or opt out of the UPC. However, once you have opted in, you cannot opt out of Unitary Patents.
South Africa remains a continental leader throughout Africa in intellectual property (IP) governance. South Africa’s patent landscape reflects a dual character: it is both a regional leader in Africa and a system that is heavily dependent on foreign innovation. Although the country ranks 46th globally in patent applications, recent data indicates a decline in filings, particularly among resident applicants.
Effective immediately from 13 March 2026, amendments to the Regulations Relating to the Classification, Packing and Marking of Vinegar and Imitation Vinegar have come into force under the Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1990 (Government Notice No. R.7218, the ‘Amendments’). The Amendments introduce important changes affecting class designations, acidity declarations, marketing claims and supply‑chain transparency for vinegar products sold in South Africa.
Effective immediately from 13 March 2026, South Africa has amended the Vinegar And Imitation Vinegar Labelling Regulations, with immediate consequences for packaging, class designations, acidity statements, and front-of-pack claims.
The Department of Agriculture is seeking industry input on the possible introduction of a new class in the Certain Raw Processed Meat Product Regulations for a “new” econo or value product consisting of raw minced meat or raw mixed-species minced meat combined with mechanically deboned meat (MDM), edible offal, spices, and water.
Under the current South African patent system, the Patent Office does not substantively examine patent applications for novelty or inventiveness before grant. Instead, South Africa operates what is commonly referred to as a non-examining (or depository) system, in terms of which it is the responsibility of the patent applicant to ensure that the claims define an invention that is new and inventive over the state of the art.
The Companies Tribunal on 13 February 2026 issued a decision regarding a company name objection based on trade mark rights, in the matter of Assembled Investments (Pty) Ltd (the applicant), and Rosemary (Pty) Ltd (the first respondent), with the Registrar of Companies as the second respondent.
The adoption of the 13th Edition of the Nice Classification, the international system for categorising goods and services for trade mark purposes, introduces a number of structural reclassifications for new trade mark applications. This edition seeks to better reflect modern commerce, emerging technologies and functional distinctions between goods and services.
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has announced that, with effect from 2 February 2026, all South African patents and patents of addition will be issued electronically. Certified copies will likewise be issued in electronic form only.
The Plant Improvement Act, 2018 (Act 11 of 2018) and its Regulations are in operation with effect from 1 December 2025, replacing the previous Plant Improvement Act, 1976 framework.
Zambia has introduced significant changes to its trade mark laws through the Trade Marks Act No. 11 of 2023, which officially came into effect on 31 December 2025. This new Act replaces the outdated 1958 legislation and Zambian trade mark law more into alignment with international standards.
