Cipro and Kulula interviews

IP made news on Radio 702 (probably South Africa’s best known talk radio station) during last Friday’s 6pm roundup which included interviews with Minister Rob Davies over CIPRO’s woes and Gidon Novic on Fifa’s strongarm tactics against his company, Kulula. You can listen to it here.

Be prepared though for rhetoric from the minister and some frustration if you have been reading this blog for the past year. Most disappointing though is Mr Davies' underestimation of what CIPRO potentially means to business and government, even if we are to forgive his IP faux pas about CIPRO being about copyright registration and IP treaties.

Gidon Novic pleads foul and is unashamedly proud of his ignorance of the impact of Metcash, in defending his company’s rather blatant ambush marketing tactic … and with good reason too. Fifa’s no tolerance approach has handed his company some fantastically good marketing whilst inciting more anti-Fifa fervour. Does Fifa care – probably not. For every Novic there are hundreds of others who steer clear of sponsor’s rights, because of Fifa's vigilance.