Estados Unidos de América

Sudáfrica

Observancia de los derechos de propiedad intelectual

Procedimientos y recursos civiles y administrativos

15. Article 43.1 of the TRIPS Agreement requires that judicial and administrative officials be able to order a party to an intellectual property enforcement proceeding to produce relevant evidence in that party’s control identified by the opposing party when the latter party has presented reasonably available evidence in support of its claims. Please describe how and in what circumstances judges and administrative officials may order production of relevant evidence in intellectual property enforcement proceedings and cite the legal authorities providing for such orders.

Discovery and production of documents and tape recordings in the High Court of South Africa, and in the Court of the Commissioner of Patents, is dealt with in Rule 35 of the Uniform Rules of Court. Discovery will only be ordered after the institution of proceedings and generally only after the close of pleadings. In special cases, (such as the "Anton Piller" situation), the Court may order, on an ex parte basis, that certain evidence be taken into the possession of a sheriff for its preservation pending the institution of civil proceedings. Statutory provisions for Anton Piller-type orders have been enacted in the Counterfeit Goods Act No. 37 of 1997, in Section 11.