Law firm confirms rugby authorities own Bok emblem

'We have checked with the Register of Trademarks, and Saru is the current owner of the trademark,' said Owen Dean, partner at Spoor & Fisher. Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile earlier told Parliament's Sports Committee that SA Rugby owed the government royalties for the use of the Springbok emblem. He contended that his department owned the emblem. Stofile maintained SA Rugby had been using the emblem illegally as they had neglected to renew its registration. Spoor and Fisher disputed this. 'The SA Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) registered the trademark in 1996. Sarfu is now defunct, but one of the two bodies it spawned, Saru and SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd, owns the trademark. We cannot determine which one it is. This trademark was renewed in 2005, and is valid until 2016.' Ilse du Plessis, of Jan S de Villiers Attorneys in Stellenbosch, confirmed that the firm handled Saru's trademark portfolio, but said a colleague, who was abroad, was best equipped to explain when a renewal application was lodged. Full report on the IoL site See also a Beeld report