Patents

The Patent Department practises from our head office in Pretoria – where the Patent Office and the Court of the Commissioner of Patents are located – as well as from our branch offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The Patent Department has a professional staff complement of 18 partners, three associates, three professional assistants, five candidate attorneys and eight paralegals assisted by support, administrative and secretarial staff. The partners and the associates are all qualified attorneys and patent agents, and all have engineering or science degrees. The professional assistants are fully qualified attorneys with technical degrees and are in the process of qualifying as patent agents.

The Patent Department renders a full range of legal services in a wide variety of technical fields such as biotechnology, chemical engineering, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, plastics and polymer technology, computer technology and civil engineering.

The patent services offered include the following:

• drafting
• filing
• prosecuting
• all aspects of patent litigation
• searching
• licensing
• renewals
• technology transfer

Featured news 11th Hour Legislation – The Medicine & Related Substances Amendment Act No. 72 of 2008 The Medicine and Related Substances Amendment Act No 72 of 2008 (the Act), which envisages the over haul of the current Medicine Control Council (MCC) into the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, was assented to by the South African out going president, President Motlanthe, and was published in the Government Gazette one day before the South African national elections – 21 April 2009. If you are worrying about what happens to the MCC, since it is meant to cease to exist one day before the Act comes into operation and if you are concerned about the fact that there are no regulations in place don’t panic – the Act will only come into operation on a date to be fixed by South Africa’s new president by way of a proclamation in the Government Gazette. We will keep you advised as to when this comes about.   Featured office: Cape Town Inquiry: +27 (0) 21 418 8560   Featured person: Marsicano, Deborah Senior Associate Patent Attorney Tel: +27 (0) 12 432 6252