Firewater Interactive

Thanks for the Memories. See you in 2012.

2011-12-13T18:29:00.001+02:00

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Online Reputation Management – How Important Is It?

2011-10-27T13:23:00.000+02:00

The term “online reputation management” has been thrown around a lot recently, especially in relation to public relations nightmares some companies have experienced. It seems that rogue PR professionals are posting inflammatory Tweets or blogs, or maybe a company’s website was hacked and damaging information was released. On the other hand, you’ve probably also heard of companies with a great online reputation who are known to interact meaningfully and positively with their customers. Online reputation management is an essential part of public relations in the 21st century.

You may have never thought much about online reputation management. You may have been taught that the best reaction is no reaction, and that if you ignore a pest it usually goes away. While that may be true, taking no action to a cyber-assault on your good name is definitely a bad idea. Negative opinions and misrepresented fact can tarnish your clean reputation immediately and ruin an otherwise trustworthy name, especially in the times we live in today, with technology and the online world growing at a rapid rate. Online Reputation Management is now essential to any company or service wanting to maintain a clean and untainted online image.

Let’s first define ORM. Online Reputation Management can be defined as “the process by which a company can build positive feedback, respond to negative sentiments about their brand in online conversations and minimise the effect of negative publicity by suppressing damaging web pages in Google search results.” (http://www.targetinternet.com/, 2008. A practical guide to online reputation management).

As online discussions on forums, Twitter, Facebook and product review sites become more popular and customers turn to these channels as part of their buying decisions, companies need to be aware of where and how their business is being discussed. Every day, lies and rumours fill these forums. Search engines looking for fresh content place these postings at the top of their results. There's no “undo” button, and defensive posts may make matters worse.

By continuously updating and adding new and fresh content, this situation can be prevented. Strict adherence and close attention to content and responding effectively and courteously on all platforms is one of your best weapons in the arsenal of ORM. If your customers like your content, they’ll tell their friends about it via email or social media. This means you have to produce the best content possible to manage your online reputation.

However, if there is a lack of attention to posts and complaints, or if the content is managed badly, the consequences can have far reaching effects .One example of this is the horrendous way Nestle handled their Facebook interaction with its customers and clients. Nestle, in all their glory, decided to place their interns (and the “less experienced” personal) in charge of their Facebook group. Nestle told their fans and customers that if they used an altered Nestle logo as their profile picture they would be removed from the group. The following image depicts the interaction between Nestle and the users:

The problem, obviously, is Nestlé’s response to people who didn’t like the initial statement. It’s PR 101: Don’t insult your customers. And in PR 2010, mind your manners in public forums — especially those expressly created for fans of your company. Nestle ultimately alienated and angered many of its customers and in turn, took many months to recover successfully.

Your online reputation can be seen in a number of ways. Whether you’re seeking employment, selling a product, looking for an investor or trying to score a date, someone is going to turn to a search engine to learn more about you, and when they do, only flattering and complementary information should be seen.

There are many companies offering the service of ORM today. The key is to find the right one for you. Due to the sensitive and volatile nature of the online world, highly skilled expertise is needed when managing and monitoring your online image. So be careful when deciding who you want in the hot seat.

Google+ and stuff

2011-10-06T19:13:00.000+02:00

It’s been a couple of weeks since I've been given a chance to post and a lot has happened in the world since then: Tons of Facebook changes, Google plus being opened to the world, Typhoons in South Africa, a crashing South African Rand. And most recently today the death of an icon: Mr Steve Jobs himself.

While this is not a post dedicated to the great man himself I would like to take this opportunity to pay homage and thank him. As Barack Obama put so succinctly, “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented”.

On a more personal note there has also been a lot of interesting and exciting news here at Firewater. We’re busy working on a lot of internal upgrades and a couple of exciting mystery projects!

Back to Business™!

Since Google plus opened to the public it has seen a HUGE increase in registrations. Current figures put the number of Google+ users at over 50 million! That’s 50 million users in just 3 months! In comparison, it took Facebook 3 years and 8 months to reach the 50 million mark.

(handy graph courtesy of Leon Håland).

Almost every website that has any sort of share links now includes a +1 amongst the more “traditional” Facebook and Twitter links.

Possibly my favourite thing about Google+ is that even with Google’s inclusion of the social games they have kept our feeds clean from the general spam that these games produce. Their innovation of having a completely separate feed for games which I never have to see makes it a clear winner in my opinion.

3 months down the line and Google+ is well poised. As things stand they already have the major players in the social media space reacting to their innovations. We’re looking forward to what Google will do with this new found social power!

Hacky time lapse experiment

2011-09-30T17:56:00.001+02:00

End of month-week-day hacky sack playing in the parking lot. Filmed on an iPhone with iMotion HD. Anyways - we clearly need a lot more practice!!

Have a great weekend and we will see you in October!

African Sales >> Fragrance Sale

2011-09-29T17:40:00.004+02:00

It is our duty to let everyone know that our up-the-road-neighbour African Sales is having their bi-annual fragrance sale. (Our hidden agenda is that the queue is so long our spouse's don't make it in!!!) It starts from Fri 30th Sep 2011 until Sun 2nd October 2011.

They supply most of the famous brands to all the big retailers - great pre-xmas shopping at dirt cheap prices!! Get there early or late as lunch time is pure chaos! Take snacks, drinks and sun protection & an umbrella!

PS: Don't squat in our parking bays - and if you do - come in and say hi!!

Times

Fri 08:00 - 19:00
Sat 08:00 - 16:00
Sun 08:00 - 12:00

Address

25 Commerce Cres East (across from Sandton Action Cricket)
Eastgate Extension 12 (NOT BEDFORVIEW - By Krammerville)
Sandton
Tel: +27 118094000
http://maps.google.com/

Facebook Places and Check-in deals

2011-09-08T16:41:00.013+02:00

Facebook is notoriously bad at communication around their new initiatives and labelling the products clearly and concisely. The average man in the street will easily get lost when trying to setup an advertising campaign or check-in deal for their business. The money wasted daily must be mind-blowing.

A couple of weeks ago I came across a certain article that put me in a flat spin. The headline read: “Facebook Deals shuts down”. My heart fell through the floor. How can they do this to us? I had just sent a brand spanking new business strategy which hinged on Facebook Deals at its core.

I continued to read and found that as is all things Facebook the association with the word deals seemed to have been extended in America and in fact the part of Facebook Deals they were shutting down mirrored the concept that Groupon was built on.

This did not have an effect on the strategy I had just sent off. Heart = firmly back in my chest where it belongs. So what did it really mean?

The original article posted here: http://bit.ly/mVqItU on memeburn explains the whole thing in a lot more detail. But basically it means Groupon type deals died a premature yet probably well timed death and Facebook Places Check-in deals are still alive and kicking.

With the recent kick-off of Facebook check-in deals in South Africa I feel Firewater Interactive is well positioned to pioneer this exciting new development from Facebook.

Facebook Check-in deals come in 4 different types. These are Individual deals, Friend Deals, Loyalty Deals and charity deals. Each has been tailored to a specific use.

Individual deals are great for offering specials on specific products, free gifts or a launch of a product or service. This one is great for anyone from Spa’s to Supermarkets.
Friend Deals are great for group specials and deals when a specified number of people check-in as a group to receive the deal. This would also work for any business but would be especially suited to restaurants and bars.
Loyalty deals are great for business owners looking to reward their regulars. By checking in a specified amount of times the person may receive a gift or discount at your business.
And lastly Charity Deals are used to raise money for a chosen charity. By customers Checking-in they are donating via your business to the chosen charity.

In essence Facebook Check-in Deals are an amazing concept that needs to be fully explored and played with in order to really understand the full power.

Take a look at AVIS South Africa who is one of our newest clients. They are forging ahead with Facebook Places and Check-in deals with a great discount on weekend rentals. You may find their Facebook Fan page at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/AvisSouthAfrica

If your business is looking for a great Facebook solution with or without Facebook Check-in deals give us a call and we will tailor make your strategy hand in hand with your specific needs while remaining within your budget.

What do Facebook and Spring Day have in common?

2011-09-01T16:22:00.013+02:00

Facebook changed over to the new OAuth 2.0 protocol today and have given us just one more month to ensure that we change all our apps and fan pages from HTTP to HTTPS.

What difference will this make for a general user? And what does this mean for us as developers? How will this change how we develop for Facebook?

The major benefit for the end user will be secure browsing. Currently if you have turned on secure browsing in your settings if you navigate to a fan page which wasn’t secure Facebook would prompt you with the following.

If you click continue your entire session will be conducted under a regular HTTP session and will no longer be browsing securely. Not just on that page but wherever you go on Facebook. Closing your browser doesn’t help (if you are like me and stay logged in). The next time you open Facebook you will still be browsing un-securely.

Previously, the only way to browse securely again was by going into your account settings and changing your settings again. Now, by logging out and logging back in, it will restore the secure browsing settings in your browser. Once the change to HTTPS hits on the 1^st of October you will no longer have to worry about this issue. All browsing on Facebook will be available through secure HTTPS connections.

As far as development goes: Developers won’t actually have to change anything about the way they develop for Facebook. The Facebook Graph Toolkit is already using OAuth 2.0 to authorize its users, as well as using the signed_request parameter (a parameter used by Facebook to pass information to iFrame applications).

Unfortunately anyone who wants to create an application in a Facebook fan page now has to acquire a SSL certificate for their domain in order to host their application. This will increase the cost of your hosting as well as possibly causing some (slight) performance (speed) issues.

All in all, in my humble opinion, I believe this to be a very positive change for Facebook; cutting down quite dramatically on the number of users who get their accounts hacked and making Facebook more secure in general.

And what does any of this have to do with Spring Day? Well, nothing really, but in honour of Spring Day we had our very own Squirrel (SQUIRREL!!) create an awesome Spring Day background for your PC. Download your own Firewater Interactive background and feel the awesome!

Random office musings and musings of office

2011-08-25T20:04:00.020+02:00

I was looking around the office the other day and realised something. Our offices are awesome. I may have become slightly jaded after seeing the same things every day but I still feel we’re lucky to work in such an awesome environment. We might not be the Google offices (yet!) but we’ve certainly got a comfy thing going for us: Foosball, Air Hockey, Guitar Hero and one of the coolest and comfiest boardrooms ever.

When you can nap on your boardroom couch (after hours of course) you know it’s comfy.

Most of the art in the office is the creation of our very own Kyle, who in some quiet patches (sure he wishes he had some of those at the moment) a couple years back started doodling on our walls. Over the years we’ve added more and more until we have the awesome artwork you see below.

Air hockey table (about to be put to good use in our latest air hockey double’s championship):

The Fishbowl (Our 2nd boardroom /lunch room when not in use):

We also have a showroom for our sister company Firewater Light which pictures really don’t do justice. Come and visit us and we’ll show you all our cool toys (including the homebuilt canon – we blew a tennis ball almost over the river once).

Oh and let’s not forget the developers’ best friend: the cappuccino machine! One can’t be a brogrammer (no, that isn’t a typo http://b.qr.ae/nn0WqM) without a great cup of really strong coffee.

All of this along with the awesome people mean I still wake up most mornings excited to come to work. Watch out Google, Firewater's on your tail!

An Ode to Kettle

2011-08-18T15:48:00.004+02:00

An Ode to Kettle.

Alas poor kettle I knew you well.

4 Years of dedicated service. Constantly being pushed to boiling point by all who work with you but never exploding. Over the years you have serviced hundreds of clients and employees alike, never wavering in your duty. We know we put you on a pedestal but you never failed to live up to the faith that we put in you.

Over the years of dutiful service you have gotten weary. You have endured much abuse. You have spent many a day working overtime with the team, often the only companion to a poor team member working late into the night.

You may often have felt neglected or ignored. We brought in shiny, flashy new replacements: coffee machines, espresso machines, water coolers but, in the end, we always returned to you.

You will be missed dear friend.

Your parting was sudden and left us all bereft.

RIP

The Firewater Team

What do you love? An initiative by Google

2011-08-11T12:11:00.009+02:00

The Google team wanted to be able to show people more of what they do in a fun and engaging way. They posed the question: How could they connect people with products they may not know of but might find very useful?

Trying to find a solution to the challenge the Google team produced a website which we at Firewater find very interesting and thought we should share.

The website is called: What do you love? And you may access it through the URL: http://www.wdyl.com

Try it out, input the subject you are most passionate about and click on the heart button to start the search. Basically it aggregates the products and tools that you may find useful. We believe “applications” like these have an excellent future in the ever changing landscape of the online space.

What do you love?

Initial views on Google +

2011-08-04T09:19:00.006+02:00

Last month Google launched their new social media platform Google+. Not being a fan of social media in general I was sceptical at first about the NEED for another “Facebook”. Surely one such platform was enough? But nevertheless I finally gave in and accepted one of the many invites I received. After playing around with it for several weeks I finally feel confident enough to give it a decent and fair review.

First Impressions:

Google+ is quiet. Not quiet in a bad way mind you, just quiet. It’s fantastic to see my user page and not be bombarded by millions of apps and adverts. It has a nice, clean and simple UI. One of my big issues with Facebook is the sheer amount of clutter that has built up over the years. Maybe it’s just my specific OCD coming into play but the clean layout that Google+ presents me with allows me to focus more on what the people I follow are actually saying.

Another new innovation is the idea of circles. Google lets you add people to different circles. It has preset circles in place: Friends, Family, Acquaintances and Follow. However it also allows you the ability to create your own circles. On Facebook everything I share is available to everybody on my friends list. On Google+ I could create a new circle, add those people I want to that circle and then only send messages to them.

There are a number of ways to add people to circles. You can click on their name which will give you a list or, and this is one of my favourite features, you can just drag and drop their portraits into the circle you want to add them to.

Here is a cool little vid exploring circles on Google+

Something which has always bothered me about social media is there is no way to retrieve all your information once it’s on the site. There is no way to download all your photos off of Facebook or all your tweets off of twitter. In fact anything you post on Facebook is partially owned by them too! Google+ allows you to download all your data. Want to download just the images from your albums? Just your comments or statuses? You can do it in a bulk download or as separate smaller pieces.

Google+ Mobile App

Both Android and iPhone have come out with mobile apps for Google+. While I haven’t unfortunately had the opportunity to download one myself I’ve had several report backs. A friend of mine stated: “Simple and elegant - no clutter or confusion. I found it to be much more intuitive than Facebook apps for android. Sharing photos and locations is smooth, no bewildering ‘eek, where am I now?’ moments.”

Here is a simple intro vid for the mobile app.

Some Interesting statistics

Google has mostly throttled access to Google+ and still they have reached 20 million + users within than a month of its extremely premature release.

As one would expect the majority of Google+ users so far are based in technical occupations such as Engineers and Developers

1. Engineer 28,886 (24.56%) (24.56)

2. Developer 15,962 (13.57%) (13.57)

3. Designer 12,669 (10.77%) (10.77)

4. Software Engineer 11,818 (10.05%) (10.05)

5. Writer 5,734 (4.88%) (4.88)

6. Web Developer 4,972 (4.23%) (4.23)

7. Software Developer 4,317 (3.67%) (3.67)

8. Programmer 4,095 (3.48%) (3.48)

9. Photographer 3,586 (3.05%) (3.05)

10. Artist 3,276 (2.79%) (2.79)

11. TOTAL 117,620 (100%)

As such due to these professions being mainly dominated by males the current gender split of users on Google+ is not evenly distributed at all.

Male 3,143,433 (71%)

Female 1,226,716 (28%)

Other 42,077 (20%)

TOTAL 4,412,226 (100%)

Latest statistics put the male female split at around 66% male/33% female.

Top 10 Countries

United States 433,545 (55%)

India 142,339 (18%)

Brazil 41,605 (5%)

United Kingdom 38,917 (5%)

Canada 29,490 (4%)

Germany 26,494 (3%)

France 22,613 (3%)

China 20,766 (3%)

Spain 19,370 (3%)

Taiwan 19,280 (2%)

TOTAL 794,419 (100%)

It would also seem as if most Google+ users are loyal to the brand with 59% of people accessing Google + through Google chrome.

We here at Firewater are looking forward to seeing how this new environment develops. I personally believe that I have found my new social media home.

All the above statistics are courtesy of http://www.findpeopleonplus.com/statistics and http://www.pcmag.com

Jan 2011 - Open season on gingers

2010-12-09T23:49:00.000+02:00

antheapokroy Anthea Pokroy

Planning a #gingershoot for Jan 2011. Contact me if you know any#gingers who would like to take part. RT please! #icollectgingers

Firewater Interactive >> Happy Holidays

2010-12-08T23:03:00.002+02:00

Brave or Stupid...?

2010-12-08T11:51:00.000+02:00

Shooting a watermelon on a guy's head with any weapon is just plain stupid but at least if you do it with a 50 calibre and it hits you in the head – you won't suffer any pain (or humiliation)!

It always amazes me how many stupid people are still alive in this world!!

Why you need to wash your dishes

2010-12-07T12:06:00.001+02:00

A little story as told by the Firewater team…

Lama or ostrich?

2010-12-01T14:33:00.000+02:00

Things to do while bored on the jazz.....

Dine and dos @ KFC

2010-11-14T14:38:00.000+02:00

Ever felt like this from KFC – My standard pose is usually over a toilet bowl!

If your husband’s been naughty – who you gonna call?

2010-10-27T11:58:00.000+02:00

I wonder if this is a franchise of Mrs Bobbits?

OOohh - I need one of these

2010-10-17T19:49:00.000+02:00

Seen @ Tai Su in Parkmore - there is huge entertainment value passing time by reading the packaging of their groceries (grosseries??) they sell.

1/2 Giga Pixel Image of Sandton / Joburg Skyline

2010-04-16T14:04:00.002+02:00

This was a ROUGH experiment to create a 1/2 gigapixel of JHB. I couldn't change the weather and only had one opportunity but hope to shoot another one soon.

Brian's Bday-mitzvah

2010-02-24T11:40:00.000+02:00

Happy belated barmitzvah to Brian J

Tequila Commercial - Listen Carefully to the Disclaimer

2010-02-19T01:39:00.001+02:00

I got to get me one of these

2009-12-23T12:50:00.001+02:00

ROAD RUNNER

2009-12-21T22:10:00.001+02:00

We're outta here!

2009-12-17T18:43:00.001+02:00

Firewater Interactive (http://www.firewater.net/) is closed from the 18^th Dec 2009 to the 11^th Jan 2009. Some say it’s a long holiday. I say HELL YEAH! We partied hard enough this year and we need the rest!

Firewater Light >> We're going on holiday!

2009-12-14T17:39:00.001+02:00

Wishing you and your family happy holidays from Firewater Light!

We close on Friday the 18th of December 2009 and re-open on Monday 11th of January 2010.

In case of emergency please contact 082 603 8650.

Tel: +27 11 262 6056
Fax: +27 11 262 6057

Physical: First Floor, West Block
8 Commerce Crescent
Kramerville, Sandton
2196, South Africa

Office & Showroom Hours:
9am - 5pm (Monday to Friday)

Website: www.firewaterlight.net

This email is subject to our Trading Terms & Conditions available at: www.firewaterlight.net/terms

Distinctive IP Issue no.26, CENTURY CITY AND THE PAPER GENERATORS

2009-12-07T16:20:00.003+02:00

CENTURY CITY AND THE PAPER GENERATORS

Issue 26, 7 December 2009 CENTURY CITY AND THE PAPER GENERATORS

The Supreme Court of Appeal’s recent decision in the Century City case has been fairly well reported. The court held that the trade mark registrations for Century City belonging to the home owner’s association were invalid. Why? Because Century City is a geographical term and the law says that a mark must not consist exclusively of a sign or indication that may serve in trade to designate the geographical origin of the goods or services. What made this unusual is that Century City is a commercial and residential development rather than a town or suburb. Yet the scale is such - it’s referred to as a ‘city within a city’ – that the court felt that, although it may not have been a geographical term when the mark was registered in 1997, it is now. And the court held that in South Africa it’s not necessary to show that the trade mark owner was to blame for the name becoming geographical.

But the most interesting part of the judgement is the sharp criticism of the way lawyers run trade mark cases, and how they allow costs to soar by filing loads of paper. A while back the Appeal Court complained bitterly about the fact that 720 pages had been filed, not to mention 57 pages of Heads of Argument, in a case that the judge contemptuously described as one brought by a company about the ‘wrapping of its coconut biscuits.’

In the Century City case, Judge Harms, who’s often good for a quote, was incandescent about the record of 1157 pages. He had this to say:

‘Trade mark cases have developed into paper wars, in the apparent belief that the weight of papers of the respective parties determines the merits.’

And this:

‘Practitioners are paid to determine what the case is about and to make a value judgement about what is required and what not, and not only to photocopy documents. This should serve as a final warning also for counsel who tell us to read unnecessary paper.’

The problem isn’t limited to court documents of course! Look at your average cease and desist letter, which simply says ‘If you don’t stop doing what you're doing, we’ll get quite cross’ but runs to three pages. Or your average opinion, which says ‘You might have a case, but then again you might not’, which will run to ten pages or more. This ‘charge by the word’ and ‘bull$%*# baffles brains’ thinking really has to stop.

I’ve said enough!

PETA - Joanna Krupa

2009-12-07T12:22:00.002+02:00

The World's Fastest Train (Made In France)

2009-12-02T19:51:00.001+02:00

Guess the Frenchmen are planning to get outta there in a hurray!

How to wake the girlfriend/wife up

2009-11-24T09:21:00.001+02:00

Help Desk

2009-11-05T05:24:00.001+02:00

Distinctive IP: Issue 23, 28 October 2009 WHY IS ! NOT A TRADE MARK?

2009-10-28T08:51:00.001+02:00

The wonderful thing about IP is that, no matter how long you do it, it never makes sense. A good example of this is a recent European decision refusing an application by the German fashion house with the silly name - Joop! - to register ! (yes an exclamation mark) as a trade mark for clothing.

Readers who observe that wonderful convention of allowing a decent interval to elapse between receipt of Distinctive IP and its despatch to Deleted Items, know that a mark can only be registered if it’s distinctive, either inherently (think Google), or through many years of uninterrupted loss-making, sorry that should read ‘use’ (think South African Airways). In this case there was no meaningful use of ! throughout Europe, so the issue was simply whether it was inherently distinctive. Nein exclaimed His Lordship, Judge Schadenfreudeglockenspielbratwurstliebfraumilch or some such thing, because consumers won’t see ! as a sign denoting origin, but rather as a promotional message or eye-catcher.

Here’s the thing. When a trade mark consists of a word, the enquiry’s always simple - if the word isn’t inherently distinctive then it can only be registered if it has become distinctive. With some other types of marks, however, a further consideration is added – the courts say, now look here, we don’t think consumers see this thing you’re trying to register as an indicator of origin, so it’s not inherently distinctive, which means you’ll need to show us that you’ve used it for yonks, and that consumers now understand that it is a trade mark and that it’s yours.

Now I get this argument when people try to register things like the shape or colour of the product - products must of necessity have a shape and colour, so it’s the name that is seen as the trade mark. Which means that you have to prove that the shape or colour is now seen as a trade mark too. Albeit a subsidiary one - you never hear anyone saying they have a contract with the yellow-coloured cell phone company do you!

But what about logos? Isn’t the logo the purest form of brand, the true descendant of the random and often simple sign burned on livestock? Even if it is also subsidiary to the name – if you go into an Edgars and ask for a tick t-shirt you’ll get a look that’s even more vacant than the one you’ll get if you ask for Nike, and if you hit Witbank and say ‘ my good man, do you have one of those restaurants that operate under what’s known colloquially as the Golden Arches logo?’, you’ll get a look that’s even more dof than the one you’ll get if you say ‘hey boet, where’s McDonalds?’

So if the logo doesn’t illustrate the product, and it isn’t something that others in the business need to use, why should its simplicity or its accessibility (! is, of course, available on a keyboard near you) be held against it? It’s mysterious stuff this, it really is!

Managing client expectations

2009-10-18T10:55:00.003+02:00

Awesome accidents

2009-10-08T02:26:00.001+02:00

Distinctive IP: Issue no.21, A Double Header,

2009-10-05T17:52:00.001+02:00

5 October 2009
2010- Serious Lollipop Threat Averted.

A decision finally in the Metcash case. FIFA feels that Metcash’s sale of lollipops called 2010 POPS - in packaging with soccer balls for the zeros in 2010 and a South African flag – will stuff up the World Cup (some think that FIFA’s arrogance and Bafana Bafana's crapness may just do that too!). Judge Msimeke accepted FIFA's claim that Metcash is unlawfully competing (presumably FIFA sells lollipops too!), because it’s contravening section 15A of the Merchandise Marks Act. This says that it’s an offence for a non-sponsor to associate its brand with the World Cup, and thereby get publicity or promotional benefit from it (some think South Africans know by now that it’s only the MTN’s and FNB’s that are associated with the event, which is why they use the official logo!) The result was predictable. As was the fact that it took nearly 10 months for judgement to be handed down. Given that the tournament is almost upon us, that makes an appeal just about impossible.

Mean Mr. Video.

Balls of a different kind! The Appeal Court has confirmed a decision that ordered Mr. Video to hand over (or ‘deliver up’ in that weird dialect spoken by lawyers) DVDs that it had imported from the USA and offered for rental in SA. The decision also required Mr. Video to pay to the film companies that own the copyright in the films appearing on the DVDs, what in that same dialect is called ‘attorney and client costs’. If you’re lucky enough to be awarded attorney and client costs, you should recover most of what you’ve spent. It’s more likely, however, that you will be awarded what’s called ‘party and party costs’ - a phrase that translates loosely as ‘little more than bugger all’ - something that is likely to leave you feeling decidedly bipolar, with the euphoria of winning the case coming to an abrupt end with the realisation that it’s wiped you out financially!

So why all this aggro from the Men in Black? Well, they felt Mr. Video’s conduct was egregious. Bad even! The DVDs were clearly infringing copies of the films and they had obviously been acquired for unlawful purposes - Mr. Video had imported the DVDs, knowing full well that they wouldn’t work on the DVD players used in South Africa (it got around this little inconvenience by simply issuing customers with instructions on how to decode their machines so that the DVDs would play, nice!). It was also clear that Mr. Video had known that what it was doing was illegal, because it had obtained a legal opinion in advance. And, to top it all, when Mr Video was sued it persisted in defending the matter, even though its attorneys said there was no case. So, all in all, Mr. Video did a lot of things to irritate their Lordships. It’s good to see bad behaviour being punished once in a while.

Email: mail@muhlberg.co.za

Distinctive IP: Issue no.20, Taking Google's Word For It, is attached.

2009-09-29T09:16:00.002+02:00

From: Hans Muhlberg [mailto:mail@muhlberg.co.za]
29 September 2009 06:31 AM

When you type in a word on a search engine you get two types of results, natural results and ads. The natural ones come up by dint of a clever algorithm, the ads because advertisers have bought that word. These words are called keywords or, in the case of Google, Adwords. There’s no limit on how many companies can buy the same keyword, nor on what words you can buy. This means that a company can buy another company’s trade mark as a keyword. And that means that when you type in a trade mark as a search term you may well end up going to sites of companies that compete with the brand owner, or even sell counterfeit products.

So does buying and selling trade mark keywords infringe trade mark rights? Many brand owners say yes, but the world’s biggest brand owner (arguably!) says no. There have been conflicting decisions and, as a result, Google sells trade mark keywords in some countries but not others. The European Court now has to decide a case involving the Louis Vuitton trade mark, which was bought as a keyword by both competitors and counterfeiters. The Advocate General (AG) has given his opinion, which will now go to the European Court for consideration.

The AG - who was at pains to point out that he was simply dealing with trade mark keyword use, and not the further use by the advertiser of the mark on its site - took Google’s side. He said this:

· When Google presents a trade mark keyword to an advertiser there is no use of the mark on the goods covered by the trade mark registration (e.g. handbags), but rather in relation to its keywords service. So the use is internal to Google.

· When Google presents the trade mark keyword to the public, there may be use on the brand owner’s goods, but there’s no confusion. Why? Because internet users are savvy enough to know that not all natural results and ads which flow from a search on a trade mark relate to the brand owner itself, and they will examine the site first before making any assessment.

· A trade mark is not a classic property right that allows total control, and this type of informative use should be allowed - to hold otherwise would be to place an unacceptable restriction on the rights of others to operate in cyberspace, e.g. those operating 2nd hand sites and product review sites.

· Google is not contributing to an infringement by the advertiser, unless it sells a keyword consisting of a trade mark followed by a word like ‘copy’ or ‘replica’.

· The advertiser buying the keyword isn’t infringing the trade mark either – it’s simply acting privately as a consumer of Google’s services.

Not only does this opinion legitimise an important source of revenue for Google, but it puts brand owners under considerable pressure to buy their own trade marks as keywords. It’s important stuff!

Mrs Balls

2009-09-16T09:40:00.001+02:00

Distinctive IP: NOTTA LOTTOFUN

2009-09-15T18:36:00.002+02:00

Issue 18, 15 September 2009

The Appeal Court’s recent decision that:

· the National Lotteries Board’s trade mark registration for Lotto was invalid because it was descriptive and

· the company behind Lottofun - a service that enables punters to buy Lotto tickets online, rather than queuing for them with the plebs - is not passing off its business as being associated with the National Lottery,

shows (yawn!) yet again how short-sighted it is to adopt a weak name.

Yes, you may hoodwink some dozy dude at the Trade Marks’ Office into registering your descriptive word, but there’s every chance it will be cancelled one day. And if it is, you’ll have to sue for passing off if you want to stop a competitor from using a similar name. And that’s a lottery at the best of times! Because, as the court said here, passing off protects a company from deception arising from a misrepresentation, rather than the name itself.

And there lay the problem for the National Lotteries Board - despite the fact that a couple of people signed affidavits claiming that they believed Lottofun was associated with the national lottery, the court didn’t believe them (although they didn’t come right out and say it, there’s every chance that their Lordships felt that gamblers simply can’t be trusted!). Users of Lottofun are, the court felt, quite clear on the fact that Lottofun is simply an agent that sells Lotto tickets. For one thing, the Lottofun site says so. And, for another, users of Lottofun are sophisticated (if you want to be a sophisticate, you’ll be pleased to hear that the bar isn’t set very high – according to the court you simply have to have a bank account and the ability to use a computer, you don’t need to see the absurdity in ploughing your hard-earned cash into a game offering the most outrageous odds!)

Alliance and Lotto, that’s two very clear warnings from our courts in the space of a few weeks. Hopefully, the message will start sinking in!

Blind Cricket

2009-09-14T10:58:00.001+02:00

I am NOT drunk!

2009-09-11T07:13:00.001+02:00

If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers

2009-09-08T14:35:00.001+02:00

If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers
Unknown January 10, 2002

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don't have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)
Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year.

Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don't bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: Get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers.
Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has. I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor's house that he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can't happen very often.

Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I've given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can't handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.

Distinctive IP - First Come, First Denied

2009-09-08T09:57:00.001+02:00

Issue 17, 8 September 2009 First Come, First Denied

We’ve only had our domain name dispute procedure for a short while. Which may explain the seemingly inexplicable Gardenmaster decision. The adjudicator ruled that a small cc that had used the name Gardenmaster for gardening services since 1969 (no that’s not a typo!) had to hand over a domain name registration which it had obtained in 2007 for www.gardenmaster.co.za to Masstores (Makro). A company that had started using the name Gardenmaster for a range of garden tools some 30 years later in 1999, registered the trade mark in the same year, and been irked in 2008 to find that the domain name was taken. The adjudicator had no doubt that the cc had registered the name www.gardenmaster.co.za to frustrate Masstores. So the registration was abusive.

The adjudicator was influenced by various factors. For example, the fact that the cc said it had registered the name in 2007 to ‘protect its rights’, after finding out that garden tools were being sold under the same name (apparently the right answer to the ‘why’ question is ‘so that we could start e-commerce’). The fact that the cc offered to sell the registration to Masstores for a significant amount after the retailer approached it. The fact that the cc didn’t answer written questions put to it by the adjudicator. The fact that the cc’s registration was formally in the name of an agent. And the fact that the cc hadn’t actually used the registration, in other words hadn’t established a site under the name. So it was apparently reasonable to infer that this was just a bad egg trying to frustrate Masstores from getting the registration.
Really! Here’s another possibility - on becoming aware of the fact that another company was using the name in a similar field, the cc thought hey we better make sure we can use our name for the website we will surely one day create, so let’s register it. Being unversed in these things, it used a marketing agent to do so. When Masstores finally woke up to the fact that it had failed to register an important trademark as a domain name, it said oh sherbet, someone else has it. So Masstores threw its mass around and said Gimme. And the cc thought, hey here’s a chance to make some nice money, so it tried to do a deal. And when Masstores refused to bite and instituted proceedings instead, the cc thought sod this for a lark, let’s just put our trust in the legal process (fools!).
There was no abuse here, no cyber-squatting, no taking unfair advantage of another’s rights, no registration primarily intended to frustrate another party. Just two businesses with rights to the same name. Which meant it was first come first served. But in this case the one that came second had the wherewithal to be awkward. So a different rule applied!

Email: mail@muhlberg.co.za to be added to this weekly mail.

Next time you are at a traffic light!!!

2009-09-04T18:09:00.001+02:00

Personally I would prefer to do this with mace!!

Heineken Walk in Fridge

2009-09-04T10:47:00.002+02:00

Moses

2009-09-04T04:00:00.002+02:00

10 Drugs

2009-09-03T13:30:00.002+02:00

Why doesn't grandma visit more often!

2009-08-29T10:13:00.001+02:00

Distinctive IP - Issue 15, 26 August 2009 RESPECT

2009-08-26T09:11:00.003+02:00

Issue 15, 26 August 2009 RESPECT

At the risk of over-simplifying, the law on comparative advertising goes something like this:
Trade mark law says that you can use a competitor's registered trade mark in a comparative ad provided that you don't imply that your product is associated with your competitor. This has seemingly been the case since 2007, when the Appeal Court ruled that Verimark's use of a BMW car in a TV ad for a car polish was kosher because there was no suggestion of any connection between the products (there is a possibility that our law will change following a recent European decision, but we'll have to wait and see).

Advertising law agrees, but imposes further requirements, for example the comparison made must be sustainable, and the ad must not be disparaging of the competitor.
The ASA recently dealt with a comparative ad where there was in fact no direct mention of the competitor. The ad was for Sunlight dishwashing liquid and it said that Sunlight 'washes twice as many dishes as its nearest competitor.' The ASA accepted that this was a reference to Ajax – not only is Ajax in fact Sunlight's nearest competitor, but the ad showed a bottle which looked remarkably like an Ajax bottle.*

The ASA also accepted that the claim was true (so remember which liquid to buy thrifty Scottish readers!). But it went on to find that the ad was disparaging and therefore contrary to the Code. Why? Because Sunlight dissed Ajax. Oooh! Turns out the ad was one of those deep, thought-provoking cinematographic masterpieces, so typical of this product sector - in one particularly poignant scene Sunlight lady refers to Ajax as 'that stuff', and in another pathos-filled moment Ajax chick looks a little disappointed with her choice of product. This, said the ASA, went beyond claiming a factual superiority to being disparaging.

Bit precious what! Surely a little robustness is part and parcel of advertising? What are you supposed to say - 'Your toothbrush is noticeably inferior to ours, but our respect for your product is undiminished!'

*It was the bottle that did it. In another recent ASA case involving arch rivals I & J and Sea Harvest, the ASA held that a reference by one company to Brand X was not sufficient to identify the competitor's product.

Sign @ new wine shop

2009-08-22T17:27:00.002+02:00

Love the signs guys! Looking forward to visitng your store.

Female Ninja warriors on a rugby field

2009-08-22T17:24:00.002+02:00

I wasn't sure if the Iranian women's rugby team looked more like Ninja Warriors or extras from a James-Bond scuba diving crew!

A "new toy" - Car-bike

2009-08-22T11:55:00.001+02:00

Where the world of transport is going to!!!

Distinctive IP - AN UNWANTED ALLIANCE

2009-08-19T09:30:00.002+02:00

I just discovered Hans's articles in the NoseWeek... buy it - great magazine!

Issue 15, 19 August 2009

AN UNWANTED ALLIANCE

Alliance Property Group’s recent failure to stop fellow property company Alliance Group from trading under the name Alliance should come as no surprise. Although it took the court a full 57 pages to do so, all it really had to say was that the name Alliance is inherently weak, there are loads of businesses out there called Alliance, and Alliance Property Group waited far too long before it tried to assert itself. So there was no way it could claim exclusivity. Not even in its own space - property (property / space, they say it’s a gift!). And just to remind you why Distinctive IP is your preferred source of IP law (and to give this some semblance of respectability), how about a short quote from the judgment, which itself comes from an earlier English judgment: ‘The plaintiff which uses descriptive words in its trade name will find that quite small differences in a competitor’s trade name will render the latter immune from action.’ Right!

What this case does do is reinforce what that grey-suited, grey-haired and occasionally grey-mattered attorney has been droning on about for years - you’re either distinct or extinct! Yes, I know that smooth-talking, Gap-wearing, Jack Daniels-sipping, Mini Cooper Coupe-driving ponytail from the advertising agency with the really deep name (no of course I’m not jealous!) has been telling you that a descriptive mark’s great because it tells people what you do, and it makes your initial marketing so much easier and cheaper, but you know what - you’ll forever be in an alliance with your competitors. Instead of standing out from the crowd!

Yes you may eventually get a trade mark registration when you’ve been in business for years, but even then you’ll find it difficult to enforce your rights. Consider this - our national carrier may possibly have a registration for South African Airways, but it might still struggle to stop someone else from taking to the skies as Southern Africa Airlines. My favourite local airline on the other hand, Kulula, just can’t wait for someone to try it on as Kolola. Or Mooloola! Or Luluka!

So remember boys and girls, made-up words like Kodak are good, as are dictionary words used out of context like Google for search thingies (yes I know it comes from the maths term ‘googol’, but ‘google’ does have a meaning, it means to deliver a googly, which is something you do on a cricket pitch not in a maternity ward!). Ordinary words used descriptively are poor, however, as are clichéd words like Perfection, geographical names and surnames. If that’s too much to retain, just remember this - Mortgage SA Bad, Ooba Good. The Mosabob rule.

The most (un??)-awesomeness wedgie!

2009-08-14T17:28:00.001+02:00

Ah - I miss school days - especially physics! :)

Standard Bank - inspiration to get involved!

2009-08-13T23:42:00.002+02:00

I was amused to find this display in the bank that had not been working for 2+ weeks.
Maybe this will inspire you to get some motivation to get involved and fix the damn thing – or just go full screen and show Barney to your clients... at those who can’t read will also enjoy laughing at your TVs!

Creative fun with projectors

2009-08-13T01:21:00.003+02:00

Distinctive IP - WE DON'T DO COLOUR

2009-08-12T15:13:00.003+02:00

Hans publishes it weekly - sign up by mailing mail@muhlberg.co.za

------------------------------------

Issue 15, 12 August 2009
WE DON’T DO COLOUR

It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to use the ASA as a forum for resolving what are basically trade mark disputes. And why not - the ASA Code has provisions which deal with the central issue in trade mark cases, consumer confusion. And the ASA works. And the proceedings are cheap and cheerful. And quick. (Reverse the last three sentences, and you have an accurate description of High Court proceedings).
Two recent ASA decisions, however, show that the outcome of an ASA case may not always be the same as a court case. A few months back, iBurst failed in its attempt to stop Neotel from using the colour orange in what can roughly be called the telecoms sector - in that case the ASA seemed almost appalled at the suggestion that a company can monopolise a colour. Last week, Tiger Foods - which manufactures that beverage so loved by Distinctive IP readers, King Korn sorghum beer - failed to stop a competitor from using the colour yellow. In both cases the ASA said that, although the Code does provide that a company cannot take unfair advantage of another company’s advertising goodwill or imitate its advertising, these provisions are basically aimed at protecting original intellectual or creative thought. And deciding to use a certain colour, it seems, does not require much intellect or creativity (that high-pitched scream you hear now is the sound of hundreds of extremely well-remunerated advertising gurus voicing their outrage!)
IBurst’s claim seems to have been a bit dodgy, but Tiger seems to have made out a pretty good case. Certainly the company said all the right things in its papers - it has used the colour for 45 years, no-one else in that sector used the colour until the cheeky competitor came along, the colour isn’t in any way functional or generic, many consumers of the product are illiterate and therefore very dependent on packaging, and the company enjoys a 79% market share (earth to Competition Commission, are you out there?). And, for good measure, Tiger even threw in a little bit of intention or sharp practice – the competitor apparently uses the same packaging supplier as Tiger.
Even if Tiger doesn’t have a trade mark registration for the colour, it could, methinks, have brought a fairly convincing passing off case. That’s because in a passing off case the issue would simply have been a factual one of consumer confusion, with intellect and creativity not coming into the equation at all (no that’s not a reference to the fact that the case would’ve been run by lawyers, and yes it is ironic that it’s the intellectual property law case that requires no intellect or creativity, thank you so much for your participation!)
Looks like you’re back in business, High Court judges!

_________________________________________________________________________

Hans Muhlberg LLM MITMA
SA Attorney, UK Solicitor, UK and EU Trade Mark Attorney
Consultant to Moore Attorneys
Post: P O Box 60, The Woodlands, 2080, South Africa
Tel: + 27 (0) 83 9470 903, Fax: +27 (0) 86 616 7979 Email: mail@muhlberg.co.za

Driving through the safari park

2009-08-12T09:01:00.002+02:00

2009 Apple Mac and DVD combo for sale

2009-08-08T10:47:00.002+02:00

Found this ad on Gumtree if you are looking for a Mac at a steal … unbelievable price. Just R 5,000.

I hate my Job !!

2009-08-04T21:45:00.001+02:00

Hollard - you guys are sick

2009-08-03T08:57:00.002+02:00

Erm.... Hollard - who signed this off??? Maybe you should put their "Name Here"!

Roof ball

2009-08-03T08:15:00.001+02:00

Don't drink and ride ...

2009-07-27T19:29:00.001+02:00

Why they don't have bicycles in the Western Cape!

1 download = 3 and a 1/3 dead relatives

2009-06-30T17:10:00.002+02:00

Blow Job Cramps - it's no joke!

2009-06-05T17:45:00.002+02:00

Builder’s Warehouse – new ad campaign.

Advertising Industry - Spec Work Video

2009-06-05T09:21:00.006+02:00

Ahhh... a pain we all know too well in the industry.

The next titles should be:

"hurray up and wait"
"I want it yesterday"
"Just photoshop it"

PS: If anyone has one of those super-duper shelves that have an infinate amount of pre-prepared jobs of original client's work that they think we just pull their projects from... let me know... I will pay a little off for each job we do because "this is a long term commitment" we are making!

Deadly Handsome Men

2009-05-25T02:51:00.001+02:00

If I had a camera on me everytime I did something stupid - I could have released a feature film by the time I was 15!

We all need healthy badys!

2009-05-22T18:05:00.003+02:00

Now why would I want the bady to be healthy. The bady must be punished!!!

Erm - do you do coffins?

2009-05-22T14:51:00.003+02:00

I am still waiting to hear if Innovative Glass manufacture caskets!

And you too can be a Taboo MVP....

2009-05-22T11:56:00.003+02:00

Wow - I feel so honoured to be such a valued... unfortunatly I too can't remmeber my name after having so many drinks at Taboo!

Italian Time

2009-05-11T01:41:00.001+02:00

This just appeals to my sense of humour

China - Speed cooking

2009-05-10T19:03:00.001+02:00

Anything fresher is...well... also alive!

Never kiss a monkey

2009-05-05T18:12:00.001+02:00

Swine Flu // South Africa / ORT Airport

2009-05-04T08:26:00.002+02:00

I traveled home from Hong Kong and arrived yesterday morning 7am at ORT.

It was not evident in the slightest that there may have been any potential world health emergency.

Not a single customs official, immigration official or any other ORT employee / service provider seemed to be taking any preventative or screening measures for this potential epidemic. A good number of passengers disembarked wearing their own masks. The baggage arrival area (A2) is perfect viral breading ground with a mix of heat from the lack of ventilation and the build up of an uncomfortable number of people arriving from various flights and having to wait well over an hour for baggage to come off the conveyors.

In Hong Kong every official is masked and some gloved too. In fact most people who deal with the public are masked (fast food staff, information officers etc.). There are a number of health monitoring stations where they film travelers with heat / infra-red cameras and take their temperatures with thermometers. There are automatic dispensing sanitizing stations placed all over the airport, hotels, shopping centres etc. Furthermore they continuously run TV ads about personal health care and avoiding the spread of germs supported with a printed campaign.

I find it hard to believe SA is really prepared for a epidemic when we haven’t even taken the most basic preventative measures?

Flying pigs

2009-04-26T18:31:00.000+02:00

It was said that a black man would become president "when pigs fly."

Indeed, 100 days into Obama's presidency... Swine Flu.

Checkas

2009-04-19T17:40:00.001+02:00

Ameriquest Ad Videos - Don't Judge too quickly

2009-03-31T09:54:00.001+02:00

Shortest fight

2009-02-23T12:22:00.002+02:00

Scaring the sh*t out of you!

2009-02-13T01:46:00.002+02:00

Ripping into Sony (NSFW)

2009-02-12T16:25:00.002+02:00

These guys take the mickey out of SONY Funny as $4i7

Durex Get it On Advert

2009-02-03T08:51:00.001+02:00

Durex Get it On Advert with condom/balloon dogs!

Free Trail at Planet Fitness

2009-01-27T12:25:00.002+02:00

www.planetfitness.co.za is giving away free trails…. I am struggling to decide whether I go on the trail to healthy living or better spelling… tough choice!

Don Packett - You (soon to be) legend! :)

2009-01-26T23:05:00.004+02:00

3 x DVD FUN PACK ASS

2009-01-25T11:34:00.004+02:00

I am sure that after watching 3 x fun DVDs on ass packing I will be a pro!!! Go Dis-chem, Benmore!

SAA's Values

2009-01-25T11:28:00.002+02:00

People first and reliably last??? Hmmm....

"we do not have keys to the safe"

2009-01-25T11:25:00.003+02:00

Pick 'n pay Morningview, South rd. store manager helping pack bags with safe keys on his belt... Or maybe they were the keys to their dungeons - I could be wrong!!

security camera at Hatfield VW

2009-01-16T15:25:00.002+02:00

Real footage of security camera at Hatfield VW. The lady just took delivery of her new Polo, two days after she received her drivers licence.

Welcome to Africa!!

Firewater Interactive End of year mailer 2005

2008-12-19T21:12:00.003+02:00

We’re closed for the season.

Firewater Interactive on Tour 2006 En of Year Mailer

2008-12-19T21:11:00.003+02:00

Firewater Interactive Year End Emailer 2007/8

2008-12-19T21:03:00.003+02:00

Can your PC do this?

2008-12-19T12:27:00.001+02:00

Lenovo ThinkPad Grandma Advert

It's Time for Another Party!

2008-12-12T11:36:00.004+02:00

This year Firewater Interactive hits the campaign trail as we start yet another party! Who can COPE(tm) with all these choices? See you in the new year!!!

Click image for larger view

Sandton City New Development Artist's Impressions

2008-12-02T09:24:00.002+02:00

These are images of the new Sandton City refurbishment project. They are starting now on their R1.7billion project. The really tall tower at the top is a new building that aims to claim back the skyline after the Michaelangelo took that status away.

The 4 blocks are some new residential apartments ontop of Sandton City.

Brickies Labourer in Bangladesh

2008-12-01T17:38:00.001+02:00

If ever they have a show “India’s Got Talent” – then these are some tough competitors!

A staitionery vehicle in the intersection of South and Bowling

2008-11-24T00:22:00.004+02:00

I just couldn’t resist this one! A stationery vehicle in the intersection of South and Bowling! Doh!

How to pay off your M5

2008-11-24T00:19:00.003+02:00

Quite simple.... buy fake goods at the robots (aka traffic lights).

Prison break series 4 :)

2008-11-18T09:39:00.001+02:00

Grade 2 IQ Test

2008-11-17T15:52:00.002+02:00

What’s wrong here?

This is the lift from Silver Star Casino in Krugersdorp. There is a great steak restaurant there simply called Steak (visit them at www.thesteak.co.za).

UK Power Failure Sign

2008-11-15T19:32:00.002+02:00

The difference is in SA we would have had a more permanent sign made for power failures.

Zen Wars

2008-11-02T10:30:00.000+02:00

Some ideas of things to do with your mate's Zen Garden!!

Things to do with your mate’s Zen Garden.

SABC2 Chairman

2008-10-23T17:44:00.002+02:00

Unlucky for some “chairman”!

C'mon all - pay yout tv licence!! The SABC need to buy some decent furniture for the fat cats!!!!