Intellectual Property Protection

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Protecting your intellectual property, especially copyright and confidentiality issues. You can read our advice, or about the products or services we offer related to this focus area below:

Copyright Amendment Bill and Publishers: What’s happening so far

The Copyright Amendment Bill will have a significant impact on publishers. The bill aims to strike a balance between creators’ rights and the public's access to copyrighted works. While the bill includes some much-needed updates, it has sparked considerable debate [...]

Authors Guild v OpenAI | Copyright infringement

Authors Guild sues OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement for using seventeen authors' works to train their AI-based models. Who should care about this case and why? The Authors Guild sues Open AI in a class action. This is a [...]

Open source software register: What it is and why you need one

In the rapidly evolving technology landscape, the significance of open source software (OSS) has skyrocketed, offering an array of benefits, from cost savings to fostering innovation. However, as organisations increasingly integrate open-source components into their projects, maintaining an OSS register [...]

By |2024-08-26T21:30:53+02:00February 13th, 2024|Categories: Contracts, Intellectual Property Protection|Tags: |

New York Times sues OpenAI over copyright infringement

The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright infringement. The New York Times claims groundbreaking generative AI such as ChatGPT, Copilot and other chatbots developed by OpenAI and Microsoft breach copyright laws. This case is the first [...]

Publishing agreements: What you need to think about

Thinking about ways to get your video game, book or music out into the world? You need a publishing agreement. What happens when you have one in front of you? We understand that the specifics of publishing agreements are often [...]

By |2025-06-09T22:38:06+02:00June 23rd, 2023|Categories: Intellectual Property Protection|

Creating DRMs through blockchain

Blockchain can be an essential tool for copyright holders. Blockchain offers copyright holders a new form of digital rights management (DRM) that was previously absent.DRMs are a form of technical protection measure that copyright holders employ to protect their copyrighted [...]

By |2025-06-09T22:31:22+02:00June 22nd, 2023|Categories: Intellectual Property Protection|

Generative AI: The situation with copyright

What's the situation with copyright and generative artificial intelligence (generative AI)? Many individuals are using AI in their projects. Popular artists like Drake and The Weekend had their voices used in generative AI to create music by other individuals. The [...]

By |2025-06-09T12:37:34+02:00April 24th, 2023|Categories: AI Law, Intellectual Property Protection|Tags: |

Copyleft licensing: Sharing is caring in the world of open source software

Welcome to the world of copyleft licensing, where the rights of creators and the freedom of users are both respected and protected. In this post, we’ll delve into the ins and outs of copyleft licensing and explore why it’s such [...]

By |2024-08-26T21:22:01+02:00April 12th, 2023|Categories: Intellectual Property Protection|Tags: |

Selling distribution rights: how a Distribution Agreement should help

Anyone who has tried to own rights in any goods or products will tell you how valuable the distribution rights in those goods often are. A Distribution Agreement is the vehicle those people often use to become or appoint resellers [...]

Blind SA v Minister of Trade

In Blind SA v Minister of Trade, the Constitutional Court declared sections of the Copyright Act unconstitutional. People with visual and print disabilities can now access published works in accessible formats like braille, audio and DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System). [...]

Intellectual property in promotional competitions

You decide that as part of your new product, you want to run a promotional competition to promote it. You spend time trying to find the perfect prize and once you find one, you realise that you aren't sure if [...]

Fictional character – Protection through image trademarks?

How can you protect fictional characters from exploitation? Considering the potential brand value that fictional characters have for creators in video games and books, the following questions spring to mind: Does copyright provide an appropriate level of protection? What else [...]