A year ago, I was afraid of private equity-backed IP software companies – they were going to eat me alive. Then, they all got eaten by AI. Now, everyone is using AI to run away from AI. Before 2025, “normal” IP firms lived a precarious life. They had to make profit to survive and keep … Read more
Apr 23rd, 2026GlobalIPCo (powered by SimTM technology) offers a free South African trademark watch service, alerting trademark owners to similar recently published trademarks they may with to oppose. As at 2026, GlobalIPCo monitors +60,000 South African trademarks. Historical trademark watch service results are available for all marks – search for “mark” and “class”. However, you will need … Read more
Apr 22nd, 2026S&Z, which manages renewal of +13,000 intellectual property records, has selected SimTM to generate monitoring reports for trademarks on S&Z’s trademark renewal system. Why SimTM? SimTM automatically obtains published trademark data within a day of publication in a trademark journal. SimTM also provides an extensive technology package that “plugs into” existing renewal systems. SimTM’s product … Read more
Apr 19th, 2026Countries covered by SimTM SimTM covers: South African trademarks Nigerian trademarks OAPI trademarks (17 States) Alerting owners of registered trademarks in South Africa, Nigeria and OAPI of phonetically similar trademarks that have recently been published. Enabling them to institute opposition proceedings timeously. Opposition periods: South Africa: 3 months from publication Nigeria: 2 months from publication … Read more
Apr 17th, 2026SimTM is trademark monitoring technology for African trademarks. It specialises in conducting trademark watching searches to identify newly published African trademarks that are phonetically similar to registered African trademarks. African countries covered SimTM monitors newly published: South African trademarks; Nigerian trademarks; and OAPI trademarks, Result categories SimTM categorises results as: most relevant; relevant; of interest; … Read more
Apr 16th, 2026About SimTM Technology SimTM technology is a trademark watching search technology that identifies recently published South African trademarks that are phonetically similar to registered South African trademarks. SimTM is specifically designed to enable websites to create watching search reports in real-time. It also enables users to: create a dynamic webpage for each trademark providing real-time … Read more
Apr 11th, 2026Over the past week, Nano Banana has improved its ability to create patent drawings. You can now simply ask “Get patent drawings for the GlobalIPCo system”. As some background: GlobalIPCo is the top online system for African patents, integrating as much as possible with the IP office in which it files. Nano Banana goes off, … Read more
Apr 4th, 2026GlobalIPCo tested various AI options to create patent drawings, in particular South African provisional patent drawings. Many of the AI options, such as ChatGPT, were disappointing, Whereas, ChatGPT is brilliant for drafting very good patent specifications, it is terrible at creating patent drawings. To create really good patent drawings using AI, try Nano Banana. To … Read more
Apr 3rd, 2026In 2026, GlobalIPCo began assisting inventors to use AI to draft and file South African provisional patents. The result: comparing Q1 2025 with Q1 2026, GlobalIPCo increased its South African provisional patent filings by nearly 300% – making GlobalIPCo the top filer of South African provisional patents for Q1 2026. How GlobalIPCo assists inventors to … Read more
Mar 28th, 2026During the first quarter of 2026, SANi combination patents drove more than 100 Nigerian patents per month. The SANi combination patent is the best patent option for Africa. Let’s compare it to ARIPO and OAPI patents: African GDP covered by a SANi patent The SANi combination patent covers 44% of sub-Sahara African GDP – greater … Read more
Mar 23rd, 2026Need a patent quickly? A patent you can file within an hour or two? Want a patent number within one business day? Your best option is a Provisional Patent. Why file a provisional patent? A provisional patent is easy, quick and cheap to file. You don’t need a patent attorney to draft the patent. You … Read more
Mar 15th, 2026During the period March 2025 to January 2026, European applicants have consistently filed more patents in South Africa than US patent applicants. 30% more. As expected, Chinese applicants file the most South African patents – nearly twice the number of patents filed by US applicants. The US has lost its position as the top filer … Read more
Mar 14th, 2026Here are easy steps that inventors can follow to get a provisional patent and start the patent process: Why start with a provisional patent? Coming up with the invention is the first step. The next steps involve speaking to experts, creating a prototype; and confirming what the market wants. Only after taking these next steps … Read more
Jan 28th, 2026AI has made it incredibly easy for inventors to protect their invention at very low cost … and in less than one hour. This is how to do it in 3 easy steps: Step 1: Conduct a patent search Estimated time: 15 minutes 1. Go to ChatGPT 2. Type “Please help me conduct a patent … Read more
Jan 22nd, 2026Before using AI to draft your patent, it is best to conduct a prior art patent search. This is how you can easily do it in 3 easy steps using AI: Go to ChatGPT Type “please help me conduct a patent prior art search“ Copy the following with details of your invention (in place of … Read more
Jan 19th, 2026