NEWSFLASH FOR WEEK 2 (12 – 16) JULY 2021

HEALTH AND SAFETY

New draft Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Regulations

New draft health and safety regulations for the maritime industry have been published for comment, updating the current regulations with amended or new definitions and additional safety measures.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Artificial intelligence created inventions – Patentable or not?

As a general rule, the law lags behind technology. The exponential growth in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking place across the world is testing current patent laws and raising new legal and ethical questions that have never been contemplated before. One of the most important questions raised is whether current patent laws adequately deal with the increases in machine autonomy when it comes to inventorship.

PAIA

“To compile a PAIA Manual or not to compile a PAIA Manual?”… That is the Question

Certain entities are exempt from compiling a PAIA Manual until 31 December 2021, but this depends on various factors, such as the type of entity, the sector in which the entity operates and the entity’s total annual turnover or number of employees.

ROADS

How you can lose your driver’s licence under the Aarto Act

It has been confirmed that the first stage of the four-phased implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act would begin this month. It will start with the finalisation of various processes before implementation in 67 municipalities from 1 October 2021. On 1 January 2022, Aarto will be implemented in the rest of South Africa’s municipalities. It is only from 1 July 2022 that demerit points will be introduced.