A UK Patent No. 1283915 for "A Method of and Apparatus for Examination of a...
Welcome to the Smit & Van Wyk blog, where you’ll find a wealth of expert insights and practical information on trademarks, patents, and copyright. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, inventor, or creative professional, our articles are here to help you navigate the world of intellectual property with clarity and confidence.
RhoDIS – Rhino DNA Index System
Statistics show that 1 rhino is killed every 30 hours in South Africa. Rhino...
New Anti-counterfeiting Plastic Money
Canada, Australia and 30 other nations are finalizing plans to ditch paper...
Invention Connection
Find Investors for your Patented Inventions If you have a patented invention...
Pratley Putty
South African engineer, George Pratley invented the world famous Pratley...
World Intellectual Property Day – April 26
World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April. The National...
Small Business Owners
In the United States intellectual property based businesses and entrepreneurs...
The Harley-Davidson Sound Trademark
Harley-Davidson, often abbreviated as Harley, is a motorcycle manufacturer in...
Smit & Van Wyk Registers the Stackable Cup
Smit & Van Wyk attorneys legally represented Mr Marc Cocci with the patent...
Software Business Methods
Novelty Searches in view of obtaining patent protection for an invention If a...
Eligible Patents In South Africa and Abroad
Eligible patents are the inventions which qualify for patentability according...
Commercial Values & Intellectual Properties
Commercial values in a business can include the intellectual properties such...
The Patent Office Role
The patent office is the authorized office appointed by a country’s government...
Brand Names to Distinguish Products & Services
Brand names are used to identify and distinguish specific products, services...
Patent Formulas
Some of the frequently asked questions about patenting for example, a patent...
Basic Reverse Engineering
Reverse engineering is a term used to describe the process of getting...
Industrial Espionage
Industrial espionage has become rather glamorous by means of the media...
Public Domains
Public domains refer to work not covered by copyright anymore. Public domains...
Supplementary Protection Certificate
A supplementary protection certificate known in short as SPC is one of the sui...
Industrial Design Rights
Industrial designs is a type intellectual property right awarded for the...
Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights
The western world coined the term of indigenous intellectual properties to...
Trade Secret Value to Business
A trade secret is any information that gives a business or for instance,...
Utility Model vs Patent Protection
A utility model is a specific type of intellectual property right. It is...
Aspects of Entertainment Law
Entertainment law has almost become a law to itself. It is a term used to...
IP Registration Office
The Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPC) oversees the registration...
Submarine Patents in the USA
Submarine patents are patents which stay hidden from the public long after the...
Using the Patent Pending phrase
Patent pending is a term used to indicate that a patent filing is in progress...
Patent Thicket to hinder competition
The phrase “patent thicket” is used to describe the complexities which an...
Value of Patent Watch services
Patent watch refers to a continuing process of monitoring patent grants for...
WIPO | World Intellectual Property Organization
WIPO stands for World Intellectual Property Organization and is a United...
Who is the Inventor?
The term "inventor" is not defined in the South African Patents Act. It...
Domain Name Availability
When a new trademark is identified, the first step is to conduct a trademark...
What is the nature of domain disputes?
While designed to serve the function of enabling users to locate computers...
Cybersquatting and Passing Off Domain Names
There is a difference between cybersquatting and passing off domain names....
SAIIPL
The South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) represents...
When Trade Secrets exist
When Trade Secrets exist the holder of the trade secret is nevertheless...