by André J Marè

A common theme when dealing with transactional intellectual property (“IP”) matters in South Africa, where one party to a transaction is not a South African resident, is exchange control. The issue of exporting intellectual property assets by South African exchange control residents is a topic that is receiving increasing attention as companies seek to expand beyond our borders. The upcoming Isle of Man Indaba is focused on clarifying the complex issues around the topic.

Exchange controls are a system of government regulations which limit or regulate the movement of currencies and capital in-and-out of a country.  The logic behind it is that the system is put in place to protect a country’s economy and currency from external pressures and fluctuations.

The concept of exchange control is not unique or new to South Africa.  The first iterations of these regulations can be traced to 1930s as part of the war-effort to conserve foreign exchange reserves, while Apartheid South Africa expanded and tightened controls, which were used as political and economic tools.  The controls remain in place to this day.

Where South Africa is somewhat unique from other jurisdictions, is that the same regulations which are applied to currency transfers also apply to the movement or exploitation of IP.

The relevant sections of the South African Exchange Control Regulations were promulgated under the Currency and Exchanges Act No. 9 of 1933, and are quoted below for ease of reference:

Regulation 10 (1) provides that:

“…No person shall, except with permission granted by the Treasury and in accordance with such conditions as the Treasury may impose – (c) enter into any transaction whereby capital or any right to capital is directly or indirectly exported from the Republic…”

Applying this regulation specifically to IP matters, regulation 10(4) defines the terms “capital” and “exported from the Republic” as follows:

“…’capital’ shall include, without derogating from the generality of that term, any intellectual property right, whether registered or unregistered; and

’exported from the Republic’ shall include, without derogating from the generality of that term, the cession of, the creation of a hypothetic or other form of security over, or the assignment or transfer of any intellectual property right, to or in favour of a person who is not resident in the Republic…”

To confuse matters, the term “intellectual property” is not defined in the regulations and as such it is not always clear to which IP assets the regulations apply.  It is beyond doubt that the regulations will apply to the better-known statutory IP assets such as trade marks, copyright, patents and the like, but it is less clear whether it should also apply to more abstract forms of IP such as trade secrets, know-how, confidential information, domain names or goodwill (in the form of common law trade marks).

The definition and application of IP in the regulations has been described as “vague and dangerously open-ended” by the most prominent commentator on the subject, and a conservative interpretation is generally recommended.

The specific IP assets in play can be very important as the manner in which IP rights vest (thus, who becomes the first owner of the right) differs between different forms of IP and in certain cases this can be a deciding factor on whether the ownership triggers an exchange control event.  On this point, it is important to consider the implications of the use of the words “any right to capital” above, as the intention seems to be to capture a wider right than the actual asset being transferred. This has led to some controversy and the application of this phrase is by no means settled between prominent IP practitioners in South Africa.

As to how the rights are exported, this is also an important consideration.  It is relatively uncontested that an assignment (thus, transfer of IP ownership) needs to be regularised but given the wide description in the regulation, the general interpretation is that any rights transfer of IP from a South African exchange control resident to an offshore entity can only take place with the approval of the South African Reserve Bank.  This will include licensing, as well as more unusual IP arrangements such as securitisation, IP settlement agreements or the like.

The most obvious sanctions in terms of the Exchange Control Regulations regulation 22 which provides that failure to comply with the Exchange Control Regulations may amount to a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of not more than ZAR 250 000 and/or five years imprisonment.  This risk chiefly resides with the South African resident which “exports” the IP.

While criminal sanctions are always very serious, the more practical concern is a commercial one which tends to vest with the acquiring entity.  This risk typically materialises downstream when the new IP owner looks to on-sell or otherwise exploit the IP (for instance by raising capital) which is when a due diligence can uncover the non-compliance.  This can also extend to usage within any limitation imposed by the South African Reserve Bank (“SARB”), which can be onerous.  In most cases the risk cannot be priced into the transaction and it can be difficult, or even impossible, to rectify without significant restructuring – which may include reversing the initial IP transfer.

Getting approval for exporting intellectual property (IP) in South Africa involves a process with a commercial bank known as an "authorised dealer." They can approve the export if it meets certain requirements. If it's more complex, they might refer the decision to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The general rule is that exporting IP between unrelated parties at a fair price using non-South African funds is likely to be approved. If you want to do something different, you'll need a good reason, and it's important to be cautious since the terms are broadly defined in the Currency and Exchanges Manual for Authorised Dealers. For example, "related parties" means parties in a transaction that are connected in some way, like being part of the same group of companies.

It's important to note that exchange control rules are influenced by various factors, including transfer pricing considerations. Clients are usually advised to seek professional help when exporting IP, which often involves experts in commercial IP, IP valuation, tax, and structuring.

It should be obvious that exchange control regularisation does not happen in a vacuum and various other factors may come into play, including for instance transfer pricing considerations.  Clients are generally advised to seek professional assistance to regularise the export of IP.  Depending on the mandate, this will typically include a commercial IP expert, an IP valuator, tax advisors and structuring experts.

Companies interested in exploring this topic in more detail are invited to attend the Isle of Man Indaba, taking place from 31 October to 8 November in Durban, Johannesburg, George and Cape Town, at which the topic of "Growing tech and intellectual property companies in order to accumulate wealth in the Isle of Man" will come under the spotlight. The Isle of Man Indaba is a collective of Isle of Man companies with an interest in fostering synergies and bolstering ties between South Africa and the Isle of Man.

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André J Marè is an experienced commercial IP attorney and partner at Von Seidels. André heads up the firm’s Commercial and Transactional IP Division. He is the keynote speakers at the Cape Town Isle of Man Indaba.

Von Seidels is a specialist intellectual property law firm in Africa. The firm assists clients both locally and internationally in obtaining all forms of IP protection and deals with all IP related commercial activities, including agreements, licensing, transfers, valuations and enforcement. Von Seidels has regional offices in South Africa, Namibia (serving the ARIPO region), Cameroon (serving OAPI region) and Nigeria - covering the majority of the African continent. In the rest of Africa the firm works with trusted agents.

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About Isle of Man Indaba:

The Isle of Man Indaba is a bi-annual roadshow organised by a collective of Isle of Man companies with the aim of strengthening economic ties and promoting synergies between South Africa and the Isle of Man. Each roadshow focuses on key themes and topics relevant to both regions, offering a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration. For more information, please visit https://iom-za.org/.