Afro Leo came across an article penned in respectable Fin24.com that got him excited, for a moment:"All the cool things that are happening might sound truly exciting, but the reality is that the regulatory framework in South Africa does not support venture capital (VC) investment - in fact, most who make VC investments into SA businesses would rather set up entrepreneurs offshore in a more friendly environment."
According to Marc Ashton there are three main concerns in terms of our regulatory framework the authorities need to focus on: foreign exchange, skills and intellectual property.
Hoping for some analysis of this contentious topic and with some luck too, the recent Oilwell decision, Afro Leo was disappointed. Instead the author regards RSA IP laws being "in serious need of an overhaul" .. "There has to be protection of these brands and technology, both at home and in the international market place." I would invite Marc to read "Trade Mark Infringement: Is SA world class or bottom of the log?" (Charles Webster - latest Without Prejudice) and previous posts on Afro-IP here and here. There are IP laws that need a major service, like the Copyright Act, but overall I think he will find them pretty brand friendly. Exchange control, on the other hand - how much does it deter overseas IP investment in RSA and is the oil well drying up for SARS? Stay tuned.
