With the recent growth in technology, the storage of information online has become a common phenomenon. Though this method of storing information has proven to be very effective, the challenge of cyber breaches and data theft has also been on the rise. Interestingly, law firms have also become targets of cyber criminals that perpetrate these infractions ...
The Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (“DFFE”) recently published a notice inviting consultation on her intention to publish a National Guideline for Consideration of Climate Change Implications in Applications for Environmental Authorisations, Atmospheric Emission Licences and Waste Management Licences (the “Guideline”) ...
The National Treasury (“NT”’) published its draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill with accompanying Explanatory Memorandum on 28 July 2021 (the “draft Bill”). By now it is well known that the draft Bill contains a fairly radical proposal: section 20 of the Income Tax Act, 1962 (“the Act”) will be amended to limit the amount of an assessed tax loss that may be set-off against taxable income ...
Since the G7 meeting on 5 June when the G7 finance ministers announced a global corporation tax of at least 15%, there has been much written and spoken about the new proposed global minimum tax rate. Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, called the agreement a “historic day for economic diplomacy” ...
The Tokyo Olympic Games have been dubbed the greenest Games to date. Despite some criticism levelled against the claims of their eco-friendly nature, it is notable that the Tokyo Olympics Organising Committee has made significant strides to minimise the Games’ carbon footprint ...
On 10 August 2021, the South African Minister of Employment and Labour gazetted Regulations which established a temporary financial relief scheme for workers who have lost income due to the partial or full closure of workplaces destroyed, damaged, looted or otherwise affected by the recent unrest. The scheme is a welcome intervention in circumstances where workers are unable to work due to the looting or riots and are not entitled to remuneration ...
“We are both created and create. Why cannot our own creations also create?” What a week First we heard that a South African patent for an invention that lists artificial intelligence (“AI”) as its inventor had been issued, a world first. Then we heard that an Australian court had handed down a judgment allowing AI to be listed as the inventor of a corresponding patent in Australia ...
Among the other challenges facing employers in the COVID-19 pandemic is the increasing prevalence of “long COVID”. Although not much is known about long COVID at this time, there are some proactive measures that employers can take to identify and manage it in the workplace. At present, there is no official medical definition of long COVID. What we do know is that some people experience symptoms that last for weeks or months after they have contracted COVID-19 ...
A comment posted on social media last week in South Africa said, “It is only a Coup when it originates from the Coup d'état region in France. Otherwise it is just sparkling insurrection”. For those who are not aware, South Africa has had a few disruptive weeks with violent protests and looting. In-between the angst and sadness, there was still time for a dig at Geographical Indications (“GIs”) ...
The analytics company Clarivate recently published some trade mark filing statistics that tell us quite a bit. They certainly show that despite all the talk of a chronic COVID-19/post-COVID-19 business slump, there’s actually considerable business optimism out there. The statistics also seem to correspond with all the talk we heard recently of trade mark filings being unusually buoyant in the second half of 2020 ...
The liability of online platforms relating to infringing IP material that appears on their platforms is an interesting topic. Who is liable for infringing material that appears on online platforms, the person who posts the material or the online platform? This was recently considered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) in two separate cases. Some preliminary points Copyright news in South Africa these days is scant ...
When can an employer in the private sector interfere with a disciplinary sanction imposed by a chairperson of a disciplinary hearing, in circumstances where the employer’s disciplinary code and procedure make no provision for such interference? In the recent decision in Anglo American Platinum (Ltd) v Edwin Andriaan Beyers, the Labour Appeal Court (“LAC”) was confronted with this question ...
To avoid a complicated and lengthy disciplinary proceeding, employers might consider a mutual separation agreement, to terminate an employee’s employment and pay them a sum of money. In the case of Balsdon v Valley Macadamias Group (Pty) Ltd, the Labour Court had to decide whether it could make a mutual separation agreement a court order in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) ...
Can an employer require its employees to speak a specific language or to be of a specific nationality as an inherent requirement of the job? Can an employee be dismissed for operational requirements if the employee is unable to speak that language or is not of a specific nationality? Would this be automatically unfair on the basis of unfair discrimination? This issue, along with several other claims, was what the Labour Appeal Court (“LAC”) had to decide in the matter of
The Regulation of Courier and Logistic Companies in Nigeria. By Florence Bola-Balogun, Kelechi Mba & Oluwapelumi C. Omoniyi. Introduction The Minister of Communications and the Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami (the “Minister”) in accordance with Section 62 of the Nigerian Postal Services Act, 2004 (“NIPOST Act”) approved the new guidelines for the regulation of the Courier and Logistics sector (“the Sector”) in Nigeria in July 2020[1] ...
Sharing of content through online platforms – considering digital piracy in Nigeria By Davidson Oturu, Frances Obiago and Oluwatobi Oluwasanya Introduction Like many industries around the world, the creative industry has undergone evolution; from the use of three dimensional (3D) printers to compact discs (CDs) to Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), and since the late 90s, the internet ...
Like many industries around the world, the creative industry has undergone evolution; from the use of three dimensional (3D) printers to compact discs (CDs) to Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), and since the late 90s, the internet. The impact of digital technology on the Nigerian copyright space cannot be over-emphasised ...
ossibly the most confusing issue in trade mark law is this: when are two trade marks confusingly similar? We’ll discuss two recent European trade mark judgments which hopefully don’t add to the confusion. THE MILEY CYRUS CASE Is the trade mark MILEY CYRUS confusingly similar to the trade mark CYRUS? That’s the issue that the European Union General Court had to grapple with recently ...
In light of the recent Adjusted Alert Level 4 restrictions, the TERS has officially been extended once again for certain affected employees. The new claim period is from 16 March 2021 to 25 July 2021. Applications for the extended TERS benefit opened on 19 July 2021 and payments are due to commence from 26 July 2021 ...
A group of 50 striking employees confront their manager in his office. An altercation ensues, which culminates in the manager being violently assaulted. Only five of the striking employees are caught “red-handed”, having been identified as the perpetrators of the violent assault. The rest are only identified as having been there when the assault took place ...
Directors have a fiduciary duty to their companies as they hold positions of trust and confidence and as a result, have an obligation to act in good faith and in the company’s best interests. Ghana’s new Companies Act (Act 992) introduces provisions concerning amongst others, the requirement for Directors to deal transparently while handling transactions, and their obligations when managing conflict-of-interest situations ...
A lot has been written about the Scottish case where William Grant sued the budget supermarket chain Lidl for trade mark infringement. The issue Lidl is selling a gin that one imagines was intended to look rather a lot like the well-established Hendricks gin. This Lidl gin is called Hampstead, although the similarity between the two products relates as much to get-up as to the (surely not coincidental) choice by Lidl of a nine-letter name that starts with the letter H ...
The rapid rise in COVID-19 infection rates and a shift to Adjusted Alert Level 4 in South Africa have heightened many employees’ fears and reluctance about physical work interactions, returning to and/or continuing to work in traditional workplaces. Employers must prepare to manage these concerns properly and be informed of their rights and obligations regarding remote working arrangements. The stakes have never been higher ...
