The mark “SANI” is a registered trademark in class 45 (Legal services) within South Africa (registration no. 2022/28010) and Nigeria (registration no. F/TM/O/2022/90508). The SANi trademark is used in connection with a combination patent and trademark that covers both South African and Nigeria. SANi combination patents and trademarks are only offered by GlobalIPCo, S&Z and … Read more
May 4th, 2025The easiest way to file a Nigerian trademark is through the GlobalIPCo online filing system – a filing platform that specialises in securing IP protection in Africa. If you are a law firm, the cost to obtain a Nigerian trademark is: Filing: $126 Registration: $70 Step 1: Choose a Word mark or a Logo Either … Read more
May 3rd, 2025Unsystematic risk is the last layer of risk one accounts for when valuing intellectual property. To understand unsystematic risk, it is best to explain what it does not include: When determining the risk associated with intellectual property, one accounts for: the lowest level of risk – the risk-free rate, i.e. a government bond with a … Read more
Apr 26th, 2025S&Z became the largest filer of South African patents (2022, 2023, 2024) by offering the best fixed-cost South African filing options and the ability to upgrade the South African patent to a SANi combination patent (that includes Nigeria): South African patentTotal cost (includes professional and official fees)File South African patent$475 Respond to office actionFreeRequest accelerated … Read more
Apr 19th, 2025Law firm marketing using ChatGPT is extremely effective. Last week a client contacted me because ChatGPT recommended us as the “go-to” firm for intellectual property valuation. I was flattered, but how? We don’t market on ChatGPT. Well, you can’t buy ChatGPT “Adwords”; you need content – just not the mass-content created for SEO purposes. Somehow, … Read more
Feb 15th, 2025We identified South African companies with the highest R&D activity in 2000 and tracked their R&D activity over the next 25 years, to determine whether external factors may have influenced their level of R&D activity. In 2000, the nine most active companies filed 113 South African provisional patents. This reduced by +90% over the next … Read more
Jan 8th, 20252024 reinforced the significant change in South Africa’s patent landscape since the pandemic. Provisional patents South African provisional patents are generally filed only by South African inventors, as the first step of the patent process. The number of provisional patents filed is a barometer of: the R&D activity within South Africa; and the number of … Read more
Dec 29th, 2024When you’ve maxed-out toppings for a pizza 🍕, but still need more flavour, try this patented taste-booster: place a flavour material (e.g. Anise, Basil, Mint, Marjoram, Thyme, Cinnamon, Almond, Coconut, Pineapple, Orange, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cloves, Lemon and Peach) in warm water until the water absorbs the taste of the material; add the flavoured water to … Read more
Aug 30th, 2024The magic of sesame seeds: It seems that, to preserve food naturally, you simply need to add sesame seeds / Tahina. The addition of sesame seeds to peanut butter 🥜 was patented by Sidney Musher in 1927, who claimed that it made the peanut butter last 3 times longer. In 2006, Eli Budman and Marcelo … Read more
Aug 16th, 2024Pre-1940s food patents at the best! They’re concise and get the job done without fanfare. In 1930, Alva Shroyer discovered the solution to greasy doughnuts 🍩 and simply patented: “adding vinegar to doughnut dough”. … to repel the grease in which doughnuts are fried. Clear, short and effective. GlobalIPCo – easily file a provisional patent … Read more
Jul 26th, 2024Ever wondered why some olives are black on the outside and brownish on the inside? To get top 💲💰 💵 for your olives, they must be jet black. If yours are slightly off-colour, don’t worry, just “rust” them using this patented method: Immerse debittered black ripe olives in water Heat the water to a temperature … Read more
Jul 19th, 2024Whereas KFC’s patented cooking method deep-fries the chicken 🍗 under pressure to prevent moisture in the succulent chicken from evaporating as steam, apple sauce 🍎 is cooked under pressure to prevent aromatics from evaporating. In 1959, William Rooker patented: – Cooking apples under pressure and at a temperature above 100C; – Cooling the sauce under pressure … Read more
Jul 12th, 2024Maraschino cherries 🍒 were originally dropped into only the most fashionable cocktails 🍸 because they took such an exceptionally long time to soak. That’s until George Fisher’s patented method brought the Maraschino cherry to the mass market in 1952. Traditional Maraschino cherries were soaked in increasingly concentrated sugar solutions for 10-15 days – enough time … Read more
Jul 5th, 2024A wonderful patent story of good intentions 😇 gone wrong 🔥 : In 1936, Allen Hugh set out with praiseworthy intent to make a healthy celery salt. The problem is that celery oil is expensive and turns rancid in the presence of salt. So, Allen settled on adding only an incy wincy touch of celery … Read more
Jun 28th, 2024Melting cheese 🧀 over most food is normally welcomed, but it doesn’t work that well for popcorn 🍿 . It makes the popcorn soggy and no-one really enjoys that, especially Plochman Frederick who set about trialing various methods, persevering with powders and multi-coatings until he hit upon a method to melt cheese while maintaining the … Read more
Jun 21st, 2024