Barbara van Wyk

ABOUT

Welcome to Africa's largest searchable IP database with over 2000 posts over the last decade providing news, information and comment on IP law, practice, innovation and business deals right across Africa. 

Ce blog propose des actualités, informations, et commentaires sur la législation et la pratique en matière de propriété intellectuelle et de droit des contrats d'affaires en Afrique.

Born in the last week of December 2007, Afro-IP arose from the concern of Darren Olivier that there was no decent source from which to obtain reliable news concerning IP developments in Africa and nowhere to put it once you’d got hold of it. This is because, while most of Africa faces the same crippling problems of counterfeits, border controls, deficient technology transfer, detection and enforcement of infringers, the continent is split between nearly 60 jurisdictions and many different legal cultures.

This makes conventional for-profit IP publishing in the form of law reports, practitioners’ texts and scholarly writing a largely untenable proposition. This blog, in contrast, is free, easy to update and increasingly accessible.

With regular postings from Afro Leo's Friends from across the world and its mentor, Prof Jeremy Phillips, Afro-IP has grown to become the largest searchable database of African IP conversations, news and views. It attracts over 30 000 page views per month and has an aggregate subscriber base of around 2500 people across its various platforms.

We are always looking for more friends and conversation. We don't take ourselves too seriously (at least we think we don't) and we are a gregarious bunch. If you would like to join us as a Friend and contributor, please send us your motivation and CV here.

But you don't have to be as committed, a guest post submission is always welcome, as is news on an IP gathering for our Watering Holes, or send a pic of an African IP celebrity (you all are) for our Sightings. Here is the address again: afroipmail @ gmail.com or simply click here.

Don't miss the most exciting conversation on IP, on the planet! Subscribe here by mail, or on your TwitterLinkedIn or Facebook feed.