14 December 2008

LEGALWISE South Africa in Botswana Name Dispute

LEGALWISE - things are about to turn ugly in Botswana
LEGALWISE - things are about to turn ugly in Botswana
The fight over who has rights to the name LEGALWISE in Botswana is set to continue

Botswana has become the battle ground for the fight over the LEGALWISE name after two companies are claiming use of the name.

The issue began when LEGALWISE South Africa, a legal aid insurance company, registered the name with the Botswana Registrar of Trademarks after the company began making expansion plans into the rest of Africa. However, the company was deregistered after they failed to submit returns to the Registrar.

In the meantime, another Botswana company, dealing in the same field of legal aid insurance, requested to register its own name as LEGALWISE Botswana and was granted permission.

LEGALWISE South Africa got wind of the events and entered into negotiations with the Botswana company to sign a buy-out deal. Unfortunately, negotiations fell through and left LEGALWISE South Africa no option but to consult with attorneys about the use of the name in the Botswana market.

The Botswana group was given until October to stop using the name and in a letter to the company, the firm representing LEGALWISE South Africa, Spoor Fisher said: "Our clients have used their LEGALWISE trademarks extensively in Southern Africa including Botswana...It has come to our client's attention that you are using the trademark LEGALWISE in relation to legal insurance services... Our instructions are to call on you to immediately cease all use of the trade mark LEGALWISE, failing which infringement proceedings will be instituted against you."

In the meantime, LEGALWISE Botswana had its contract with its insurance underwriters, Atlantis Insurance Brokers terminated, with the latter citing breach of agency agreement. The company is now in negotiations to clinch another agency agreement with a different firm, leaving the issue about the LEGALWISE name still very much up in the air.





There are 2 comments
 
Wednesday, 28 January 2009

legalwise is a big brand not only in the southern africa but also internationally, with its sister company in the USA.

Posted by: mashosho at 16:54
 
Thursday, 14 July 2011

i had this matter was resolved, amicably so and it is now operational!

Posted by: vincent mashosho at 14:02

 
Story Highlights »
  • LEGALWISE is fuming over a Botswana company's use of its name
  • To add to the saga, the Botswana company currently has no-one underwriting its business

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