Patent Attorney – Paulo Lopes Paulo Lopes is a registered South African Patent Attorney with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Paulo with son Joshua Qualifications: BSc (Mechanical) Engineering (University of the Witwatersrand), 2000 MSc (Mechanical) Engineering (University of the Witwatersrand), 2003 LLB (UNISA), 2005 Admitted as an attorney, 2006 SAIIPL Patent Attorney exams, 2006 … Read more
Oct 15th, 2014South Africa patent South African national phase patents may be filed up to 31 months from the priority date of the patent application. A further 3 month extension is available on payment of a nominal fee. The cost to file a South African patent is US$475. This covers all costs up to and including grant. … Read more
Oct 14th, 2014OAPI patent OAPI national phase patents may be filed up to 30 months from the priority date of the patent application. The OAPI patent filing fee is from US$2,141, together with a US$336 first year maintenance fee. An OAPI patent automatically covers: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, … Read more
Oct 10th, 2014ARIPO patent ARIPO national phase patents may be filed up to 31 months from the priority date of the patent application. The ARIPO patent filing fee is from US$1,637, together with a US$50 first year maintenance fee (presuming all countries are selected). If one selects all 20 countries, an ARIPO patent covers: Botswana, Cape Verde, … Read more
Oct 7th, 2014You have come up with a great idea. But, how do you patent it? Don’t just rush to a patent attorney to draft and file a South African provisional patent. Protect your invention properly by following our 5 easy steps: Step 1: Identify the new feature of your invention. To do this, broaden your focus … Read more
Oct 3rd, 2014The cost of a PCT / international patent depends on various factors, including: the patent law firm you engage to: (i) draft the PCT patent specification; and (ii) file the PCT patent; the status of the patent applicant – natural persons that are nationals and citizens of select countries qualify for significant discounts; the search … Read more
Sep 29th, 2014Patentees are often surprised at how cheap and simple it is to file PCT national phase patents in Africa. Using GlobalIPCo, you can cover more than South Africa and Nigeria at a low cost – $399 for South Africa and $600 for Nigeria. For the most “bang for your buck” in Africa, we suggest filing … Read more
Sep 26th, 2014Before rushing to file a patent, inventors should first conduct an online worldwide patent search to confirm that their invention is “novel“. The databases are freely accessible, and easy to use. Step 1: Conduct an image search through the WIPO website In the WIPO search field, select “English Text” – this gives you the widest … Read more
Sep 23rd, 2014“Boom! Zoom! … it’s the big smashup! …” – the opening words of Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s Guigno’s Band explains this best. The OECD discussion documents published on 16 September 2014 will wreck most tax structures used by software developers. It is a body blow, head-butt and low-blow, wrapped in Theodora’s shroud and presented with a +1000 … Read more
Sep 19th, 2014The simplest way to pay South African patent renewals is to do so online. One option is to use our online worldwide patent renewal system. This system offers significant discounts on patent renewals. It also polices your patent by notifying you of newly published patents that may infringe your patent. The alternative option is to: … Read more
Sep 19th, 2014For years, we have warned against merely housing intellectual property (IP) in IP holding companies located in low tax jurisdictions. Our position has always been that merely parking IP in an offshore vehicle will not trigger any tax benefits. This principle has found clear expression in the 2014 Guidance on Transfer Pricing Aspects of Intangibles … Read more
Sep 18th, 2014Many inventors contact us for tips to draft and register their own patent. Tip 1: Use our DIY provisional patent toolkit This includes a template for drafting a provisional patent, and fillable patent forms for registering the DIY patent. Tip 2: Move beyond the benefits Most inventors get stuck on the benefits of their invention … Read more
Sep 10th, 2014Inventors often ask us for advice on raising funding for their invention. Up to the end of 2013, the answer was easy – approach SPII to fund prototyping. At that stage, SPII was the only option. The simple reason is that early stage technology is extremely risky – way too risky for the average private … Read more
Sep 10th, 2014Before deciding on your brand and rushing to the South African trademarks office to register and protect it, we suggest first doing some basic homework: Check that the co.za (and other relevant domains) are available. To do this, go to WebAfrica. Check the CIPC trademark records to confirm that no confusingly similar mark is already … Read more
Sep 9th, 2014This service has been suspended! If you have an idea you need to prototype, call us. We specialise in affordable prototyping. Our aim during the prototyping phase is not to design your product for manufacture. It is to determine whether your invention works and justifies further investment. Thereafter, should you wish to manufacture your product, … Read more
Sep 6th, 2014