Court tells Pepkor stores to remove stripes or deliver offending footwear to Adidas, writes Ernest Mabuza COMPANIES choosing to flout South Africa’s stringent trademark laws are feeling the wrath of the courts, which are imposing onerous orders.The Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that interdicted and restrained Pepkor Group from infringing on the trademarks of global sports clothing giant Adidas well demonstrates how the Trade Marks Act provides plenty of protection against infringement.Pepkor, which owns Ackermans and Pep Stores, was restrained from selling four types of shoes featuring four stripes.Sara-Jane Pluke, managing partner at Sara-Jane Pluke Attorneys, says the country’s laws offer a strong remedy to owners of intellectual property.She says the orders in the Adidas case were very onerous for Pepkor as it also needed to deliver the offending products to Adidas should it be unable to remove the infringing marks on its footwear.The judgment ordered that an inquiry be held t...
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