University technology start-up companies have the advantage of kick-starting their business with valuable intellectual property assets, a privilege very few start-ups have. In all other aspects, university start-ups are faced with the same challenges any start-up would have, and probably have...

South Africa does not invest in procuring accurate statistics on small businesses in South Africa, making it difficult to find the exact number of companies that operate in the country. SEDA issued a broad statistical overview of the SMEs of South Africa in January 2016 and presented the...

Intangible assets constitute a major value-driver for multi-national enterprises (MNEs). This is even more so for companies that rely on valuable intangibles rather than physical assets to generate financial returns. Intangibles such as patents, design, trademarks (or brands) and copyrights are...

A trade secret is protectable when it (1) relates to and is capable of application in trade or industry; (2) has the necessary quality of secrecy or confidence, is not in the public domain and is known only to a restricted number of persons; and (3) has economic value to the proprietor (e.g.,...

Intellectual property rights bestow certain rights upon the creator thereof. In particular the right of ownership. In compliance with the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)1 minimum standards are set which allow members to provide more extensive protection...