Expertise

Chezanne is a Consultant Attorney at Fairbridges with more than a decade of experience in intellectual property, commercial advisory, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution. She advises clients on brand protection, trade mark prosecution and enforcement, portfolio management, commercial agreements, advertising and labelling compliance, and cross-border regulatory matters.

Her experience spans a wide range of sectors, including automotive, pharmaceutical, financial services, food and beverages, fashion and luxury goods, FMCG, retail, telecommunications, and tobacco and smoke-free products. She has advised on complex contentious and non-contentious matters across South Africa and several other jurisdictions, including in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Chezanne is experienced in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial and legal agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, licensing agreements, co-existence agreements, service agreements and agreements relating to the commercialisation of assets. She also advises on AI policies, data privacy considerations, IP portfolio optimisation, regulatory risk, due diligence, enforcement strategies and alternative dispute resolution.

She is recognised for providing clear, practical and commercially aligned advice, with a particular focus on simplifying complex legal issues, mitigating risk and helping clients make informed business decisions.

Signature Matters

AI and IP Policy for a Southern African Bank
Drafted and provided an AI and IP policy for one of the largest banks in Southern Africa, aligning with regulatory and ethical standards.

Zambian Trade Marks Bill, 2023
Reviewed, drafted and provided written submissions to the Zambian Trade Marks Bill, 2023 on behalf of the largest FMCG manufacturer in Zambia and the Sub-Saharan region on an urgent basis.

Multinational Biopharma Company
Assisted a multinational biopharma company in objecting to an existing offensive and undesirable company name before the Business Registration Service in Kenya, ultimately resulting in the company name being struck from the Kenyan Companies Register.

Advertising Regulatory Board Complaint
Provided strategic legal counsel and managed a successful Advertising Regulatory Board complaint in South Africa on the basis of imitation, unfair competition and exploitation of advertising goodwill.

Cancellation Proceedings Across Africa
Initiated, coordinated and supported numerous cancellation proceedings across multiple African jurisdictions for a leading technology communications company.

Merchandise Marks Act Application
Drafted the first application in terms of section 15 of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1941 to prohibit the use of the mark/word “SCOTCH WHISKY” in connection with any trade, business, profession, occupation, event, trade mark, mark or trade description applied to goods.

Domain Name Disputes
Successfully administered more than 600 domain name complaints under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy and Uniform Rapid Suspension System process, resulting in the transfer of domain names to the care of the complainant.

Cross-Border IP Portfolio Management
Assisted with trade mark prosecution matters across the EU, USA and several African territories, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Tanzania, OAPI, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.

Qualifications

• Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, 2021
• Group II Trade Mark Practitioner, SAIIPL, 2021
• LLM, North-West University, 2016
• LLB, North-West University, 2013
• Comm Law, North-West University, 2012

Credentials

• Fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law
• Member of the Law Society of South Africa
• Member of the International Trademark Association
• Recognised by IP STARS as a rising talent in the trade mark field