Your (un)fair advantage

Sierra Leone & Zanzibar amend Intellectual Property Laws
28/11/2008

Currently patent protection in Sierra Leone and Zanzibar is obtainable through confirmation or registration of a granted UK or EP patent. Accordingly, it is not possible to obtain patent protection through national filing. However, this situation is about to change as both countries have amended their Patent Acts to provide for national filing.

The Sierra Leone Intellectual Property Bill is still before the Attorney General and it is expected to be passed into law soon. However, the Zanzibar Industrial Property Act 4/2008 has been passed into law effective 13 September 2008. We are currently awaiting confirmation from the Zanzibar Registrar whether the Patent Office is accepting national filing applications and updates will be posted in due course.

Written by: Nthabi Phaswana
Associate
nthabi-p@adamsadams.co.za
Adams & Adams
  Featured Act Registration of copyright in cinematograph films Act 62 of 1977
To provide for the registration and copyright in cinematograph films, and for matters connected therewith.
Download act 		  Featured Case Law Is an insurer liable for a negligent misrepresentation causing pure economic loss?
This was the question which the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) had to answer in the matter of Delphisure Group Insurance Brokers Cape (Pty) Ltd vs Dippenaar and Others.
The first and second respondents in the appeal, Dippenaar and another, were wheat farmers in the Western Cape who instituted a claim against the appellant, Delphisure. The appellant was an insurance broker that sole crop insurance product known as Farmsure. 		  Related People Nicky Garnett
Head of Africa Patents
Legal Assistant
Tel: +27 (0) 12 432 6261
Email me 		 

View programme


Login screen

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