Wessel van Wyk and Kimberley Rose Smith contributed to the Design Rights: Functionality and...
Smit & Van Wyk
Design Patents
Smit & Van Wyk is an intellectual property law firm that offers a comprehensive range of legal services, specialising in filing, maintaining and enforcing intellectual property in South Africa and abroad. Our team is comprised of experienced patent, trademark and copyright professionals who, together with our network of trusted agents, pledge professional and exceptional quality service that is timely and cost efficient.
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Industrial Designs
What is industrial design? An industrial design is the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of an...
Design protection in South Africa
Design protection in South Africa is awarded based on the article appearance and not the...
Registered Design Renewals
Registered designs (South Africa) must be renewed within the allotted timeframe and must be done on the 3rd anniversary of the registration. There is a six months grace period for the payment of the renewal fees, but it...
Application for Design Registration
Applications for design registrations are filed at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission in Pretoria. Some designs are necessitated by function and others are aesthetic, although it is also possible to register your article for both....
Aesthetic vs Functional Designs
The difference between aesthetic and functional designs are briefly explained below to help you make an informed decision regarding the appropriate section for your specific design. In both cases, a design can only be valid upon registration if...
Scott Summit’s breathtaking Prosthetic designs
Industrial designer Scott Summit founded Bespoke Innovations in 2010 in collaboration with an orthopaedic surgeon, to create breathtaking artificial limbs that the patients themselves can choose and personalize. Summit, who has more than 20 patents...
Registered Designs
A registered design protects the appearance of art, unlike a patent which protects the underlying invention on which an article is based. The appearance of an object may be protected by way of a South African Registered Design. South...
Concept Design
Concept design is a form of illustration where the main goal is to present a design for use in films, games, animation, or products, cars, buildings, before it is put into the final form. Concept design is also referred to as visual...
The International Design Alliance – IDA
The IDA (International Design Alliance) is a venture between the international organizations that represent design and aim to bring the benefits of design to world bodies, governments, business and society. The International Design Alliance...
South African Designed Aircraft – Ahrlac
image source: Ahrlac.com Arms company Paramount Group and aeronautical engineering firm Aerosud unveiled the Ahrlac! (Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft) This is first new combat aircraft developed in South Africa in...
Design Rights in South Africa
Design rights refer to the intellectual property rights associated with the shape, patterns, and configuration of an item, combination of texture, shape and patterns as well as ornamentation associated with an item. Such rights become enforceable...
Industrial Espionage
Industrial espionage has become rather glamorous by means of the media portrayal. In real life, industrial espionage is a rather mundane way of spying on a competitor for reasons of gaining a commercial edge on the competitor. The term industrial...
Design Applications
Design applications don't have not be complicated although the various terms and conditions may become confusing. A South African registered design protects the appearance of an article, unlike a patent which protects the underlying...
Difference between Aesthetic & Functional Design Rights
South African design rights fall into two major categories, that of aesthetic and functional. The difference between aesthetic and functional design rights lies mainly in the purpose. Aesthetic design rights are awarded on the basis of the...
Enforceability of a Registered Design
An enforceable right is only obtained once a design has been registered. A design is only registered by the South African Designs Office a few months after filing of the design application. You do not...
How long does a Design Application take?
A Design application usually takes about eight months from the date of filing the application until notification of registration is received from the South African Designs Office. If foreign registered designs are to be applied for,...
