Page 20 - Nine Yards Magazine 2021/2022 - Old Mutual Corporate

get set trademarks
Enter lawyers, legal letters and media headlines.
In a letter dated 21 April, RocoMamas agreed that its registered trademark Smashburger could be used by Muammer’s food truck, Rack ’n Grill, but under certain conditions, says Moshe Apleni, Transformation & Corporate Communications Manager at the Spur Group, which
owns RocoMamas.
WITH 20/20 HINDSIGHT
Based on this experience, Muammer urges entrepreneurs and small businesses to take the time to research the market before launching a company or new product. ‘It was a big learning curve for me and many others in the food- truck business,’ he says.
‘My advice would be to do the research, put in the
time and check what is already out there in the market before you start trading under a business name or using a trademark. Although registering a trademark can be costly, it can save you a great deal of frustration and hassle further down the line.’
MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO DO THE RESEARCH, PUT IN THE TIME
AND CHECK WHAT
IS ALREADY OUT THERE IN THE MARKET.
Start your checks here
To do a trademark search, visit the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission.
cipc.co.za
To reserve a business name, visit the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission’s BizPortal. bizportal.gov.za
GO TO CONTENTS
16 2021/2022