Since the founding of the SAIIPL in 1952, it is unprecedented that the President of the Institute is re-elected for a second term in office. But as the old adage goes: “there’s always a first time”, and Tshepo Shabangu has been re-elected as president of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law for a second term in office.

At their Annual General Meeting held in late 2011, the members of the Institute comprising patent attorneys, patent agents, trade mark practitioners and copyright experts from all law firms in South Africa specialising in intellectual property (IP) law, unanimously agreed that Shabangu should continue with the sterling work she started during her term in office. Asked about her secret for success, Shabangu said: “I stand on the shoulders of our predecessors and stalwarts of the profession who have done just as much as, if not more than, men and women who have sacrificed their time and energy to advance the development of IP in this country and, in their selfless spirit, wanted to leave a legacy so that those of us who would come after them can take the baton forward.”

She says the Institute’s focus is to build on that legacy and leave a firm foundation for young people entering the field of IP law. “Our duty is to continue to build the profession and to be the light bearers and trusted partners in the development of IP legislation in the country,” she says.

Shabangu, a partner at intellectual property law specialist firm Spoor & Fisher, made history last year when she became the first black woman to serve as president of the Institute and the third woman to fill the position. Shabangu has 13 years’ experience in domestic and international trade mark law and was on the Institute’s council for six years prior to her appointment as president in 2010.

As a partner at Spoor & Fisher, she specialises in trade mark law, drafting related IP agreements and corporate governance.

Reflecting on the first year of her tenure, Shabangu says: “Our members have in the past year made an enormous contribution, especially in getting their views known regarding the Traditional Knowledge Bill to the Law and Policy makers, even though not all our views were taken on board, and we will continue to make a contribution to the ongoing development and refinement of the law.”

Shabangu notes that one of the Institute’s goals was to get closer to organs of State responsible for making IP policy. “We are developing more in-depth relationships but there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that we have a greater level of co-operation with government. This is critical as IP law has an enormous impact on the economy in that it represents the major assets of most business enterprises, and if it is not protected it can stifle innovation and growth. We may not always agree with state policies, but it is important to be vocal and to state our views. Paving the way for continued dialogue will enable the Institute to become a trusted and respected partner.”

Shabangu is a member of the Corporate Lawyers Association, Black Lawyers Association, and Licensing Executives Society and an affiliated member of the US National Bar Association (NBA).
Shabangu is fluent in German and has been awarded the BProc and LLB degrees, as well as an LLM obtained magna cum laude from the University of Bonn in Germany.

Contact
Christel Botha, Spoor & Fisher, Tel 012 676 1186 c.botha@spoor.com
Monica Reuben, Predictive Communications, Tel 011 452 2923, monica@predictive.co.za