‘Mambo Ni Matatu’ Trademark Application: An Intellectual Property Perspective
The slogan “Mambo ni matatu” emanated from President William Ruto when he warned sugar cartels harshly.1 The slogan which means three things, was condemned by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), opposition leaders and human rights groups.2 This is because…
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The Elephant in the Room: Are the Save Our Heritage Campaign Posters an Infringement of Trade Marks?
On August 12, 2012, the inaugural World Elephant Day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. The escalation...
Read MoreProtection of "BASMATI" in Kenya as Trade mark or Geographical Indication?
In a recent ruling by the Registrar of Trademarks, it was found that the word BASMATI does not enjoy prima facie recognition as a geographical...
Read MoreL'Oréal Acquires Nice & Lovely Trademarks in Multi-Billion Shilling Deal
Media reports (here, here and here) indicate that the world’s largest multinational cosmetics company L’Oréal has acquired Kenya’s Interconsumer Products Ltd’s flagship Nice & Lovely...
Read MoreZimbabwe: Constitutional Protection of Traditional Knowledge and the Robert Mugabe Fashion Brand
Recently, the people of Zimbabwe went to the polls in a referendum vote for the acceptance or rejection of a draft new Constitution to replace...
Read MoreParadoxes of Equality and Inequality: Multiple Exclusions in Intellectual Property Law and Practice
…To debunk the fallacies of equality does not depend as much on might or brute force as on subtle, seemingly miniscule but powerful actions taken...
Read MoreKenya's M-Pesa Success Lies Not With Invention Credit But Exemplary Branding
@bankelele @iddsalim @mediamk @terryannechebet Original team was Nick Hughes and me. I came up with concept and architecture. — Paul Makin (@paul_makin_me) October 28, 2012...
Read MoreShould Colour be Registrable as a Trademark in Kenya?
It is said that if you see a woman wearing the shoes pictured above, three things can be deduced. One, she spent an arm and...
Read MoreGood Reads: Weekly Review of Intellectual Property News from Africa and Beyond
So long, first week of September! Here are some of the cool reads we’ve collected over the past seven days. IP and related stories...
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