OAPI suspensions, Java decision, workshops and honours.

Prof Tana Pistorius is organising a workshop to be held in Pretoria on 14-15 April on the Patent Declaration - "The Patent Declaration was drafted by numerous academics worldwide under the leadership of Max Planck ... [which] mainly relates to TRIPS flexibilities... As part of this project workshops have been held in various countries to address the different themes. Panels are comprised of representatives from academia, government, the bench, practitioners and industry" There will be more on this in a later post as soon as we here more but the line-up looks great and topic, very relevant.

News just in from John Syekei in Kenya is that his firm has won the appeal in the Java case covered in Lita's #SandtonDiscussion last year. We look forward to more news on this in the coming days.

If you are in Midrand, South Africa, on 17 February and are interested in the role of the Companies Tribunal (responsible for adjudicating all company name disputes in South Africa), they are hosting a seminar on "Promoting a Culture of Resolving Disputes Through ADR" at the Gallagher Convention Centre. Contact Charmaine Wessels here for more information.

Woop! Woop! Afro-IP has appeared on the SiNApSE blog in part of their series aimed at uncovering the World's Best IP Blogs. Thank you to the ladies and gentlemen over in India for taking the time to make us one of their official "Honorees". If you have the time pop over to India on SiNApSE and check out the IP scene ever there.

Finally for today, much has been written and said on the suspension of two attorneys from OAPI. The excellent Tim Lince of WTR covers the development here (link no longer available) following Afro-IP's post here:

"The African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI) has suspended two IP attorneys in Cameroon, and in turn prohibited parties from using their law firm for any IP services in proceedings before it, in what one of the lawyers contends to be a continuation of a bitter battle between the organisation and a group of agents who claim that it’s accession to the Madrid Protocol was implemented illegally."

Afro-IP reached out to Christian Dudieu Djomga who is a contributor and fellow blogger for comment. Christian remains frustrated echoing his comments to WTR that "..the official reason behind the suspension is because he, like others who have not been suspended, are represented more than once before OAPI but the real reason is his criticism of OAPI's accession to Madrid". He is already losing business after taking the stand. No doubt there is more to come on this story.