Browsing: Nkosana Makate

The constitutional court has slammed former Vodacom executives’ version of how the company’s “please call me” product was conceived. The constitutional court on Tuesday morning found Vodacom was bound by an agreement with Nkosana Makate

Vodacom is seeking the dismissal of a court bid that claims the company stole the idea for its “Airtime Advance” product. Airtime Advance allows subscribers who run out of airtime to get R5 or

When chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng put it to Vodacom’s counsel, led by Fanie Cilliers SC, that a man who has invented a product out of which the telecommunications giant generated millions must get nothing, attendees at the constitutional court murmured in disagreement

Throughout history, intellectual property has been a contested terrain. Recent legal disputes involving big companies such as Apple and Samsung have brought the subject down to an everyday conversation. South Africa’s intellectual property law shares many

The constitutional court has agreed to hear the application for leave to appeal in the nearly decade-long case between telecommunications giant Vodacom and Nkosana Makate, who claims to have invented the service “please call me”. After the high

Vodacom said on Tuesday that it had won a long-running court battle with former employee Nkosana Makate over the operator’s “please call me” service, which Makate claimed he invented. “Please call me” is a free SMS service that allows consumers to ask other people to call them when they can’t afford or don’t have

Judgment in the multimillion-rand case against Vodacom by former employee Nkosana Makate has been reserved, it was reported on Wednesday. Lawyers representing both parties concluded their closing arguments in the high court in Johannesburg on Tuesday

It is not clear why the legal battle between Nkosana Makate, the man who claims he invented the “Please call me” service, and telecoms giant Vodacom has so captured the imagination of the South African public. Perhaps it is because of the classic David and Goliath proportions of the saga, or perhaps it is a

A group of wealthy businessmen have emerged as the financial backers of a former Vodacom employee’s civil claim involving the company’s “Please call me” service, Business Day reported on Monday. Pretoria attorney Chris Schoeman and two partners