Von Seidels expands in Africa

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

Cookies Settings

Von Seidels expands in Africa

Sponsored by

25VonSeidels.png

Intellectual property law firm Von Seidels has recently opened two new African offices, one in Cameroon serving OAPI and the other in Nigeria

Intellectual property law firm Von Seidels has recently opened two new African offices, one in Cameroon serving OAPI and the other in Nigeria.

Oswald Alembong, who worked in Von Seidels head office in Cape Town, South Africa for five years and qualified as a South African patent attorney, returned to his home country of Cameroon in January to establish Von Seidels OAPI office. OAPI (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle) is a regional filing system for patents and trade marks providing protection in all its member countries: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Comoros.

In Nigeria, Von Seidels partnered with experienced IP attorney Okey Onyekanma to establish its office in the capital, Abuja. Together with the firm’s head office in South Africa and existing Namibia office which serves ARIPO (regional filing system: 18 member countries), Von Seidels offices now cover the majority of the African continent’s economy. South Africa, ARIPO, OAPI and Nigeria combined comprise 70% of Africa’s countries. In the rest of Africa Von Seidels works with trusted and carefully selected agents.

 

For more information please contact:

Lisa Cilliers

Tel: +27 21 526 2800

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Armstrong Teasdale’s Jim Heinen Jr discusses the challenge of balancing billables, business development and family life and explains why not all patent lawyers are science nerds
From cross-border jurisdiction to the end of the transitional period, Powell Gilbert’s Ioana Sabau and Bryce Matthewson predict the biggest talking points ahead
A wave of office launches and lateral hires reflect the draw of patent disputes, but booming AI, semiconductor and data centre markets are offering an even bigger IP opportunity
The hire of Frederick Nicolle as a partner continues Pinsent Masons' expansion while reducing Simmons’ patent prosecution offering in London to zero
The expansion into Granada forms part of a national ‘decentralisation’ strategy focused on providing proximity to research and tech businesses away from traditional hubs
Three successive wins have got the firm eyeing additional opportunities as ITC work booms
While many firms remain focused on generative AI, recent hires and practice launches suggest the next battle may be for lawyers who understand how AI is moving into the physical world
The explosion of data centres has prompted patent pool operators to create new licensing opportunities
The court struck out copyright claims brought by Ladbrokes owner Entain, saying that ownership details should have been completed before litigation began
Düsseldorf has overtaken Munich as the UPC's busiest division, while firms including Winston Taylor, Clifford Chance, and Hoyng Rokh Monegier featured in disputes involving Abbott, Essity, Amazon and Hurom
Gift this article