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 2025

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

The (trade) dress code: protection and stopping imitation

Sponsored by

adams.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

Attorneys explain why there are early signs that the US Supreme Court could rule in favour of ISP Cox in a copyright dispute
A swathe of UPC-related hires suggests firms are taking the forum seriously, as questions over the transitional stage begin
A win for Nintendo in China and King & Spalding hiring a prominent patent litigator were also among the top talking points
Rebecca Newman at Addleshaw Goddard, who live-reported on the seminal dispute, unpicks the trials and tribulations of the case and considers its impact
Attorneys predict how Lululemon’s trade dress and design patent suit against Costco could play out
Lawyers at Linklaters analyse some of the key UPC trends so far, and look ahead to life beyond the transition period
David Rodrigues, who previously worked at an IP boutique, said he may become more involved in transactional work at his new firm
Indian smartphone maker Lava must pay $2.3 million as a security deposit for past sales, as its dispute with Dolby over audio coding SEPs plays out
Powell Gilbert’s opening in Düsseldorf, complete with a new partner hire, continues this summer’s trend of UPC-related lateral movement
IP leaders at Brandsmiths and Bird & Bird, who were on opposing sides at the UK Supreme Court in Iconix v Dream Pairs, unpick the landmark case and its ramifications
Gift this article