The (trade) dress code: protection and stopping imitation

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

The (trade) dress code: protection and stopping imitation

Sponsored by

Adams & Adams logo.jpg
The (trade) dress code protection and stopping imitation (1).png

Mandy Swanepoel and Lisa van Zuydam of Adams & Adams offer practical insights on protecting trade dress in South Africa and beyond, using both trademark and non-trademark tools

In the first episode of a two-part podcast series, Adams & Adams partner Mandy Swanepoel and senior associate Lisa van Zuydam discuss the complex topic of trade dress and its unique application in the African continent.

Talking to Managing IP's Tom Baker, Mandy and Lisa provide practical examples of distinctive uses of trade dress to protect a product's brand, and consider both the trademark and non-trademark tools used to prevent infringement and imitation.

About Adams & Adams

Adams & Adams is an internationally recognised and leading African law firm that specialises in providing intellectual property, corporate and commercial services.

The firm is firmly rooted in Africa – with a tenacious belief in the economic growth potential and spirit of the continent. The head office in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, provides the perfect gateway through which its partners, supported by some 700 professionals and staff, render a broad range of legal services to clients in Africa and the rest of the world.

Through its associate offices and long-established networks, the firm serves a global client base throughout the African continent in matters of intellectual property, commercial law, property and litigation.

In 2021, experts from Adams & Adams co-produced a popular three-part podcast series on the IP enforcement of pharma in Africa.

You can find all the Managing IP podcasts here.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Partner Pierre Pérot rejoins the firm he left in 2022 alongside another returning lawyer, associate Camille Abba
Vaping dispute, in which Stobbs and Brandsmiths are the representatives, tested how the UK's Human Rights Act can apply to injunctions restraining unjustified threats
An AI platform being sold for £40m, and lateral hires involving law firms Womble Bond Dickinson and Cadwell Thomas were among the top talking points
With the London Annual Meeting behind us, we look back at some of the lessons learned this week and ahead to what 2027 will bring
In-house counsel aren’t impressed with law firms’ international networks, but practitioners say they are crucial for business
Publication of the UPC’s annual report and adoption of the procedural rules of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre were also among major developments
With the INTA Annual Meeting drawing to a close, we asked attendees for their top tips on how to close business after a meeting
Senior UK judges discussing the impact of AI on the judiciary, and the role of in-house IP lawyers during corporate transactions and carve-outs were among the top talking points
Tarun Khurana, founding partner of Khurana & Khurana, discusses juggling tasks, why every hour has a value, and the importance of ‘trusting the process’
Annual Meeting hears that IP firms are targeting hires with technical literacy in a fragmented landscape, and that those that build an online presence will distinguish themselves from the digital chaos
Gift this article