New Companies Bill to go before Parliament
The Department of Trade and Industry will on Thursday, 16 October, table the Companies Bill 2008, in Parliament before the Select Committee on Economic and Foreign Affairs for ratification and adoption. 15 Oct 2008 11:53

Fuel retailers want slow deregulation
[Siseko Njobeni] The time is not ripe for the deregulation of the South African petroleum industry, according to fuel retailers. Sector body wants a 'defererred' approach rather than 'overnight' change which could harm small players. 14 Oct 2008 11:53

GDAs come to front-of-pack
Consumers will now see five key nutritional values displayed clearly on the front of Kellogg's cereal boxes, courtesy of the user-friendly, front-of-pack (FoP) Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) labelling tool the cereal brand is piloting in South Africa. 6 Oct 2008 13:05

Post-eBay: Trademark injunctions no longer a sure thing
[Randy Lipsitz, Richard Moss and Aaron Frankel] The courts have been grappling recently with the question of whether patent and trademark law both require the same test before a judge grants a permanent injunction. Under the eBay ruling, judges in patent infringement cases must apply a four-factor test. Are the rules the same for trademark cases?

Further tests find Mars products safe
After a series of tests for melamine, Hong Kong authorities have passed all Mars products, including Snickers and M&Ms, as clear of melamine and safe for consumption. 3 Oct 2008 06:09

Guarding against 'banana skin' lawsuits
Not infrequently the courts are called upon to decide cases where people slip, fall and injure themselves, often quite badly. Sometimes these accidents occur on pavements, sometimes in commercial or residential buildings and most often, it would seem, in shops. Moreover, from the cases which come before the courts for decision, the most dangerous place in any shop or supermarket appears to be the fresh produce section where various forms of vegetable matter or bits of fruit may fall and provide a trap for the unwary shopper. What must shop-owners do to protect themselves against claims which can be very substantial depending upon the nature of the injury suffered by the customer? 1 Oct 2008 12:18

Mars' melamine test results in
In response to the melamine crisis currently affecting the dairy industry in China, which has seen Cadbury's recalling its sweets and has South African ports on high alert for contaminated products, Mars Foods has issued a statement disclosing the results of its own product testing. 30 Sep 2008 13:20

Dept of Health warns of Chinese contamination products
[Gabi Khumalo] The Department of Health has called for any product of Chinese origin that may contain milk or dairy products to be detained until the department is able to run tests on certain products. 26 Sep 2008 11:35

Consumer bill misunderstood
[Sanchia Temkin] Dire warnings by some business organisations over the cost and legal implications of the Consumer Protection Bill may be an overreaction, said a legal expert. 23 Sep 2008 11:55

GM foods must be labelled
The Department of Trade and Industry finally handed down a ruling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods on Tuesday, 16 September. 19 Sep 2008 11:25

Businesses must pay TV licences - SABC
The SABC is challenging South African businesses to show their commitment to good corporate governance by renewing their business TV licences before the end of September 2008. 17 Sep 2008 06:34

Do you really understand what that label is telling you?
When it comes to the list of ingredients you find on some products, it's as well to double-check some of the claims that the manufacturer makes and also understand exactly what the terms really mean. 17 Sep 2008 06:31

Woolies slips up on slip-ons
[Andrea Nagel] Retail giant Woolworths might have stepped on a few toes by selling slippers featuring a famed 1960s design — to which it might not have bought the rights. 16 Sep 2008 06:04