As market leaders in the online legal technology space, LexisNexis South Africa saw a need to develop a resource that speaks to the need of Intellectual property (IP) professionals for regular and reliable IP content updates. Harms Intellectual Property Law Reports is a trustworthy resource that enables users to see recent case precedents, the latest articles, and new bills passed – all with commentary to enable an understanding of the changes at all levels.

Curated by global IP expert Advocate Derek Harms SC, the new online Harms platform housed within the Lexis Library® legal research tool is positioned to redefine law reports and meet this need. IP law crosses geographic boundaries and applies internationally, making it paramount for IP professionals to have access to local and international IP content.

The dynamic nature and power of technology within what has become a global village has had the unavoidable consequence of wide-ranging legislation and conventions, changing precedents and ongoing developments in case law. This requires law makers and IP professionals to be hyper-vigilant.

Harms has scoured the IP landscape and tapped into his international connections to cherry-pick the most interesting cases and deliver the most up-to-date global IP content. The unique feature of the platform is that it is interactive and open for engagement from IP lawyers, who can recommend cases to be reported, write articles for the platform and script commentary or criticism in response to articles already published.

“There is nothing like this in the market,” says Louis Podbielski, Case Law Product Manager at LexisNexis South Africa. “The platform delivers updates and content every two weeks and includes a facility for users to engage and comment on the content, stimulating thought and discussion and influencing outcomes. Fundamentally, it is an opportunity for the IP community to interact, publish commentary, give feedback and contribute articles for inclusion on the site,” he added.

A nominal annual subscription includes fortnightly updates to bring users the most recent cases, commentaries and articles in the field of Intellectual Property, with content covering jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada, the European Union and South Africa. Africa will not be neglected and Harms has called for contributions from African IP law practitioners.

“We are very excited about the content as well as the potential of this platform, which I view as a space for Intellectual Property lawyers and other professionals the world-over to learn, grow and engage,” remarked Podbielski.