Ron Wheeldon Attorneys

17/02/2025

Well I see that I have been neglecting this page! Time rushes past and we keep so very busy it is easy to let months go by without an update.

The firm continues to enjoy being in Greenside and we have more than enough litigious work coming through the door to keep us frantic. The year so far has seen us win a decision against a new type of cyber thief - the ones who register a domain related to a well known trade mark, and then use it to derive advertising income. It seems to be the plat du jour for many aspiring IT people and it serves as a warning to brand owners to be proactive in securing domain names related to their main domain name.

09/01/2023

Welcome 2023. We are looking forward to making a difference this year in all sorts of ways. Intellectual Property is key to investment and business growth and we aim to improve public understanding of IP and enhance client experiences in what ought to be a banner year.

22/06/2020

It feels like we are probably in the eye of the storm with the Chinese virus, but we have reopened our office to some extent while continuing to work remotely as much as possible. We have some interesting litigation on and reasonable demand for trade mark filings. On the aviation front the community continues to be rocked by very silly rules put out by a Civil Aviation Administrator with little or no understanding
of the people it claims to serve.

27/03/2020

Well Sirs, Ladies and Gentlefolk, it is the first day of South Africa's 21 day projected lockdown. We have closed our office but we are monitoring email and will continue to work as well as we can. The registry is closed, so routine IP work cannot be done, but we can still of course prepare matters for filing once the office re-opens. Please abide by the restrictions and let us pray this thing can be contained.

19/03/2020

Well COVID-19 is having its wicked way with South Africa as well and we are seeing lots of panicked reaction, but relatively few actual confirmed cases so far (116) as of yesterday morning. We are working as usual with distancing and hand sanitizer and it still looks possible that the containment option will work here. We have some staff already working remotely and may increase that, but our services are so far unaffected.

13/02/2020

It is reported that Somalia has launched - or, more accurately, revived its old IP registration system but with very coherence and with confusion reigning supreme. No regulations have been put in place, but filing is now said to be available. We have connections there and can assist if anyone is looking to register in Somalia.

24/01/2020

Well here we are in 2020, with lots on the go. I am just back from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia which is now a nation of 112 million people - amazing when you consider that when "Band Aid" was launched in 1984 by Sir Bob Geldorf the census taken on 9 May that year disclosed a total Ethiopian population of around 39 million (the census did not include the whole country due to conflict and counted in Eritrea which is now a separate state). So the increase in 36 years is roughly 73 million people, more than the total population of the UK! Whether this is wise or ecologically sustainable is questionable,but it is what it is and it does mean that this is a huge and growing market - even given the fact that most people there are not exactly rich. The opportunities for business are dizzying and the most striking thing about the city is the rate of development and the relative lack of crime.

I was struck by the energy of the people I encountered and the "can do" attitude - where 65%+ of the people are under 30 years old and enterprising there is massive potential - a lot illustrated by the growth of the airline ETHIOPIAN to regional dominance with exponential growth.The nation has the continent's first indigenous lady president and the prime minister (who is the effective ruler) is driving change. The place has some very interesting tourist spots, including Aksum which is claimed to house the original Ark of the Covenant - although no-one but one priest is allowed to see it!

I am not really a very adventurous eater, but the cuisine is very enticing and unusual - without going into the the strange and forbidding. There steak tibs dish is very enticing and they have this unique dipping bread that looks like a cloth of some sort at first glance, served tightly rolled and in abundance. The coffee is some of the best I have ever been treated to with great depth of flavour and wonderful aromas. I stayed at the Golden Tulip which is equal to anything in the world and better than quite a lot.

I have been handling IP in Ethiopia since 1982 and its much improved (although still very odd!!) IP laws should be used to secure marks - speak to me about protection there it would be my pleasure to assist.

03/05/2019

As you can see below, we have been recognised by the Lawyer International awards - one of many we receive. Unfortunately I have to decline the trophy, etc. as they want to be paid in Sterling and the old Rand is making like a submarine.

03/05/2019

Lawyer International – Legal 100 – 2019 – Awards.

I can confirm your accolade is as follows;

Trademark Law Firm of the Year - South Africa

The Legal 100 – 2019 – Awards edition will be published and distributed to our global readership shortly.

Please find directly below a link to the Legal 100 – 2018 edition for reference;



https://online.flippingbook.com/view/752420/

Over the last 12 months, we have analysed in excess of 102,575 votes, either provided as self-submission or via third party nomination, and we are now able to provide a comprehensive breakdown as to who are the Legal 100 – 2019.

Lawyer International’s – Legal 100 – 2019 - Awards will provide the Global readership with a definitive guide to those firms, and individuals, that truly are the most able, within all areas, across all geographical locations that the monthly magazine reaches.

As previously advised, branding opportunities are available via the Legal 100 – 2019 – Awards edition.

Please advise me as to your firm’s requirements for coverage.

This interactive publication is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!

03/05/2019

If only the cases we won in the first instance - most of them - got as much press as this one! The message people out there ought to get is that CHICKEN LICKEN will not tolerate trade mark infringement. Perversely, although this case went against us in the first instance, the resulting media storm has helped get the message out that people who decide to use CHICKEN LICKEN's trade marks can expect WAR!

Chicken Licken trademarked ‘soul’ in the 1990s after their brand of fried ‘soul food’ made them one of the most popular fast-food chains in South Africa. Decades later, they are still protecting this cornerstone of the brand – even against vegans. In 2019, the R3-billion company took legal...

17/03/2019

Its been quite a ride the last two weeks. Some people incredibly still do not understand that you cannot just grab any name you like for your business and use it without taking the precaution of a trade mark search. Registering a company just does not cut the mustard - the grant of a company name is no guarantee at all that you can use the company name as a trade mark.

We ended up having to take the perpetrator to court urgently in Durban. The matter has been heard and we are now awaiting judgement.