South Africa

Firm overview

With an entrenched history in Africa, we have, for 150 years, assisted clients from small to large businesses in all sectors, in safeguarding their intellectual property rights. While acknowledging our established past, we continue to offer relevant and innovative IP services across Africa, an ever-changing and developing landscape that requires specialist knowledge to succeed.

With its own nuances and differences from area to area, doing business in Africa requires on the ground experience and the ability to adapt to the way in which it is done. Our success is continued through this experience and our highly skilled professionals who operate with integrity while partnering clients on their journey to success.

Our offices are located in South Africa (Johannesburg and Pretoria with a satellite office in Durban) and the Jersey Channel Islands. We serve as a gateway to the African region for multi-nationals, regional entities and local companies seeking to protect their intellectual property in African markets, we are able to fulfil our clients’ needs while continually growing our personalised IP offering.

With 17 directors, 64 dedicated support staff and global representation via an established network of trusted agents, we are well positioned to successfully protect your Intellectual Property.

Our professionals and staff offer a skillset of unrivalled expertise, and our commitment to our clients means we remain leaders in the competitive African market.

Firm overview

Adams & Adams is a leading African law firm that provides intellectual property (IP), commercial law, real estate and dispute resolution advice and support, tailored to clients’ specific needs.
The firm is locally and internationally recognised for its work in South Africa and across the African continent and prides itself on its valuable client relationships and expertise of more than 100 skilled attorneys.

As the largest IP law firm in Africa, Adams & Adams works with clients across industries to protect, enforce and commercialise all forms of IP on the continent. With offices in four major cities in South Africa and another 23 associate offices in the rest of Africa, the firm serves as a gateway into Africa for IP clients, providing support in all jurisdictions on the continent and surrounding islands. Its IP service offering is complemented by a full spectrum of transactional and dispute resolution services offered by its multi-disciplinary commercial law, real estate and dispute resolution practice.

Through the firm’s extensive African network, it can assist its clients to expand into Africa by facilitating the establishment of effective business structures. Adams & Adams leverages its geographic footprint and depth of expertise in a unique manner. Through its strong network of associate offices, it reduces complexity, creates efficiencies, and provides economies of scale that enable it to offer expert services cost effectively.

This, in conjunction with its strong commitment to professionalism, driven by service excellence and partner accessibility, sets it apart from any other law firm on the continent.

Firm overview

Ron Wheeldon Attorneys is a boutique law firm concentrating on trade mark and copyright law and situated in Johannesburg’s Bohemian Greenside hub. We believe in being hands on, approachable and affordable while bringing the very best expertise to bear on brand and trade mark issues important to businesses. We enjoy what we do and we enjoy people. As Ron is a pilot, air show performer and fan of warbird aircraft, we have been asked over and again to help with aviation law issues and have built up considerable expertise in these over the last 10 years.

Firm overview

Von Seidels is a specialist IP law firm in Africa with a team of over 100 people. We assist clients both locally and internationally in obtaining all forms of IP protection and deals with all IP related commercial activities, including agreements, valuations and litigation.

Our head office is in Cape Town and we have a satellite office in Johannesburg, South Africa. We have offices in ARIPO (Namibia), OAPI (Cameroon) and Nigeria.

Von Seidels OAPI office is based in Cameroon. OAPI (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle) is a regional IP filing system providing protection in its 17 member countries: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Comoros.

Von Seidels ARIPO office is based in Namibia. ARIPO (African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation) is a regional IP filing system with 18 member countries: Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Our offices cover the majority of the African continent. South Africa, ARIPO, OAPI and Nigeria combined comprise 70% of Africa’s countries. In the rest of Africa we work with trusted agents. 

With many years of experience working in Africa, we have vast local knowledge and understanding of country-specific legislative requirements and issues across this continent.

Our firm has established itself as one of the leading IP firms in Africa. Our superior service delivery has resulted in Von Seidels being the only medium sized firm to ever be awarded “South Africa IP Firm of the Year” by Managing Intellectual Property.

High quality legal work as well as professional, timely advice is important to us. We are committed to adding value to our clients’ businesses through sound legal advice and effectively managing clients’ IP assets.

Von Seidels is the first IP firm in Africa to be ISO 9001 certified for service quality.