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2009 Aripo Administrative Council Meeting, Gaborone
26/11/2009

The 33rd Session of the ARIPO Administrative Council held together with the meeting of the Council of Ministers is currently underway at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana.

Nicky Garnett who runs the Africa Patent Department and Nthabisheng Phaswana who is an Associate in the same Department were invited to attend the meeting in an observer capacity.

The annual meeting of the Administrative Council is an opportunity for the Council to receive a report back from the ARIPO Secretariat on the workings of the ARIPO Office during the year and to plan for the year ahead. This year also saw the Administrative Council focus on the issue of domestication of the ARIPO protocols into the national laws of the member states. The issue of domestication has certainly affected the popularity of the ARIPO system and has now been recognised by the member states as an important issue affecting the use of the ARIPO system by those wishing to obtain IP protection in the member states.

For more information on IP protection in ARIPO or any other African countries please contact Nicky Garnett (nickyg@adamsadams.co.za).
  Featured Act Form P.3 - declaration & power of attorney
Patent Act of 1978, P3 forms: declarations and power of attorney.
Download act 		  Featured Case Law In terms of Section 86(10) of the National Credit Act No. 34 of 205 (“the NCA”), where a
In terms of our law and in particular the General Law Amendment Act No. 50 of 1956 (“the Act”) no contract of suretyship shall be valid unless the terms thereof are embodied in a written document signed by or on behalf of the sureties.

There are 5 essential terms which need to be contained in a contract of suretyship, namely the identity of the creditor, the debtor, the surety and the nature and amount of the principal debt. Failure to complete the essential terms of the suretyship agreement would mean that the contract would be invalid for failure to comply with the statutory formalities.

In the recent matter of Nedbank Limited vs Wizard Holdings (Pty) Ltd and Others the Johannesburg High Court considered an application or summary judgment by the Bank against the defendants who were sureties for a close corporation. 		  Related People Nicky Garnett
Head of Africa Patents
Legal Assistant
Tel: +27 (0) 12 432 6261
Email me 		 

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The firm practises directly in several Southern African countries and through long-established associates in others.