This is a journal that CIPC publishes on a monthly basis, and it contains information on the patents,trademarks, designs, copyright, cinematography and films that exist in South Africa. It also includes information on the approved and disapproved patents on a monthly basis. This Patent Journal is obtainable from Government Printers in Pretoria. I wanted to insert the CIPC link here, but it is not working…sigh.

If you have developed a new product or process, the issue of patenting should be considered as an integral part of your overall business strategy together with factors such as profit potential, finance, production and marketing.

The patent system is structured to enable you to make this decision before the major costs of patenting are encountered.

For example, filing a provisional application is quite inexpensive and it gives you 12 months to consider the commercial worth of your invention and to resolve issues such as finance and licensing. You will then be in a better position to decide if further effort in pursuing patent protection is worthwhile.

Similarly, you can file an international application, which allows you to defer the costs of obtaining patents overseas, while you decide which foreign markets should be protected.