Tumelo Mashabela
Managing Director, Registered Patent Attorney
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world”– Mahatma Gandhi.
Tumelo is a dynamic patent attorney with extensive skills in various aspects of intellectual property (IP), corporate and commercial law. Tumelo has more than 18 years working experience, with 16 years in the field of IP. Tumelo holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an LLB degree from the University of South Africa. She worked as an engineer for a Denel SOC Ltd. This is where she obtained most of her technical experience. After her stint at the weapons company, Tumelo has worked at prestigious institutions and companies, where she gained a lot of experience in: Intellectual Property Law
- IP protection and commercialisation;
- Drafting of patent specifications and prosecution of patent applications for high-tech inventions in wide-ranging fields such as electronics and software to name a few;
- Searching, filing and prosecution of patent applications;
- Searching, filing and prosecution of trade mark applications;
- Searching, filing and prosecution of design applications;
- Filing and prosecution of plant breeders’ rights applications;
- Providing advice on claims for R&D Tax Incentive allowances;
- Obtaining approval for expatriation of IP;
- Drafting and implementation of IP management and commercialisation policies;
- Conducting IP audits and due diligence; and
- IP valuations.
Commercial and Corporate Law
- Drafting commercial contracts such as licensing agreements, MOUs, MOIs, joint venture and shareholders agreements and non-disclosure agreements;
- Management of contracts and monitoring compliance thereto;
- Drafting of publishing and distribution agreements;
- Working with clients to navigate the requirements of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) pertaining to product labelling, marketing and consumer rights;
- Drafting franchising agreements and assisting clients to ensure that their franchises are compliant with the CPA;
- Exchange control and filing applications for the expatriation of IP; and
- Company registrations and establishment of joint ventures, partnerships and trust.
Memberships Member – Legal Practice Council Fellow – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law Board membership Board member – UJInvent (Pty) Ltd Former Advisory Board member – National Intellectual Property Management Office