Bok belongs to Saru
30 Jan 2009
The department of sport and recreation’s claim that they own the rights to the Springbok emblem is false.
Owen Dean, trademark specialist at legal firm Spoor & Fisher, confirmed that it is the property of the South African Rugby Union (Saru). This contradicts the minister of sport Makhenkesi Stofile’s claim that it is the property of the government.
Beeld reports that Dean investigated trademark registration numbers supplied by the department and found them to be invalid.
“I can give you the registration numbers,” Stofile said at the time. “We own the emblem. It was registered for the small Bok, the big Bok, the Bok jumping to the right, the Bok jumping to the left …”
Deans, however, said all five registration numbers supplied by the government were invalid. Deans found that Saru had registered the emblem first, and explained that Saru would be able to declare it invalid at any time, had government registered it correctly.
The registrations had also expired because the department had neglected to pay renewal fees.
Stofile’s spokesperson Lerato Mogorosi maintains that government owns the emblem, insisting that Stofile had repeatedly tried to clarify the “misperception” about the emblem’s true ownership.
44 Comments
30 Jan 2009, 08:05 am
Non Dragon Stoffies
30 Jan 2009, 08:10 am
Dragon se moer.
The question is, does this make any difference to anything. The Bok will still eventually fall off the jersey come hell or high water.
30 Jan 2009, 08:18 am
I can’t believe we’re going there again. I cannot believe that in a society where people are sleeping on the streets, have no jobs and no food that soooo much energy can go into trivial things like name changes and the plight of a friggin emblem. Politicians are so busy covering up for their dodgy deals and affairs that the country and it’s people are secondry to all of these idiots agendas.
We want to believe in this country and everytime I get positive about our future I turn on the news and hear the opinion of another idiot talking drivil that could constitute bad Monty Python rip-offs. K, rant over, work to do.
30 Jan 2009, 08:30 am
Ag no man.
Here I was, thinking a we will get a good juicy Watson story to get us going early on a Friday morning.
So here goes
!!! Breaking News !!!
Luke Watson was spotted yesterday afternoon driving home after training.
He was staying within the speed limit. Commentators are unsure if this is an indication that he is supportive of the new Springbok jersey or against it. No vomiting was seen and once again the jury is out on whether this is a new and less gastric stage of Luke Watsons life.
What was noted was that several vehicle horns were hooted within range of Luke’s car. The government was reached for comment and it seems likely that horns will be banned from cars in certain areas of Cape Town.
Rassie Erusmas was unavailable for comment but WPRU has released a statement that none of the current Stormers squad ever used a car horn.
30 Jan 2009, 08:35 am
Again the obvious anti socialists make comments that are so false it is not governent that caused this matter to re surface as this matter thank heaven was laid to rest last year this matter has now again come to light because as rugby with it’s stooges truly want to show they are the great controler please man leave this now and look forward to 2009 as a great rugby season
30 Jan 2009, 08:35 am
#3 Timbo: This will be the case as long as BEE quota employees are made to believe they are important and deserve ot be in those positions.
30 Jan 2009, 08:51 am
I own it.
30 Jan 2009, 09:27 am
#4 Boelie:
30 Jan 2009, 09:28 am
#4 Boelie:
that is lank funny!
30 Jan 2009, 09:29 am
#8 K9_BaasPatrolliehond: You still think that they Lions have a chance of hosting the Cheetahs in a home semi?
30 Jan 2009, 09:48 am
Suck on that Stofile.
In some accountable democracies you’d be asked to resign for making blatantly false comments. But you get to keep feeding on the gravy.
30 Jan 2009, 09:53 am
#10 Loosehead: Hoping for a home final against the cheatahs
30 Jan 2009, 09:57 am
What a surprise: a government department not knowing what’s going on, and then lying to cover up their incompetence. “I was misquoted” “I did not say that” “I promise you”, the same thing every time, and no-one is ever held accountable. Lies, lies, lies. Get these clowns out of government!
30 Jan 2009, 10:12 am
“We own the emblem. It was registered for the small Bok, the big Bok, the Bok jumping to the right, the Bok jumping to the left …”
The hokey pokey? Stofile’s an a**hole I know but he’s a funny one at least.
30 Jan 2009, 10:36 am
Why exactly is one of the farttest podgers in the country a Minister of Sport in the first place? Great example they government are setting….
And why the $%^ are they spending my tax money on this. Hey Stofile, how about stopping your bitching for a while and focus your time & energy (and my money) on improving sports facilities and quality in “previously disadvantaged” schools so that this whole thing because a mute point??!
30 Jan 2009, 10:37 am
Farttest = fattest & because = becomes…… angry typing!!
30 Jan 2009, 10:54 am
Forgot to pay their registration fees!!! Looks like not only Stofile is incompetent, so is his staff. Ah well, down the road we go….of declining standards and services and of course not one person in government is responsible. Bunch of w*nkers.
30 Jan 2009, 10:57 am
#16 chappy:
No, farttest works. Farttest = fullness of flatulence
30 Jan 2009, 11:16 am
Just take the f&*^% springbok away!!!!!!!!!!!! I have my springbok jersey and my machine gun!!
30 Jan 2009, 11:48 am
Chaps I know this is off topic, but did anyone based in London see the attack Mike Katt made on Cipriani in the London Paper. He was so right, he said that Cipriani is not that good and is busy being flash when he does not do the basics well. Words from a wise man.
30 Jan 2009, 11:50 am
such claiming by the SA gov officials will leave SA like Zim. Be careful chaps..
30 Jan 2009, 12:23 pm
Why doesn’t the government just go and f@#k themselves?
30 Jan 2009, 12:48 pm
#22 garth: My initial thought on your comment was that that would be far too complicated for them to do when I realised that in fact they do it all the time, hence this article.
30 Jan 2009, 12:52 pm
#20 Tbozknows: Oh dear. That must put Big Hit in a quandary. After all, Mike Catt is his hero. I wonder how he’ll explain (read twist) Mike Catt’s comments to portray them as positive criticism of Cipriani.
Or maybe he’ll just admit what the rest of us think in agreeing with Mike Catt that Cipriani currently is an all style, no substance show pony. England’s version of Carlos Spencer, only without the class.
30 Jan 2009, 13:09 pm
The Bok stops here.
#22 garth: they are too busy F*^%ing us!
30 Jan 2009, 13:51 pm
Regardless of how it’s sold, it will be a great coup for SA Rugby when both the Stofile brothers leave their posts.
30 Jan 2009, 14:45 pm
C’mon Stofile, you have been caught out lying! Again! Do the honourable thing and fall on your sword. Oh wait! you cant do that because you are basically unemployable.
30 Jan 2009, 15:12 pm
Deaf ***
Two deaf people get married. During the first week of marriage, they find that they are unable to communicate in the bedroom when they turn off the lights (because they can’t see each other using sign language).
After several nights of fumbling around and misunderstandings, the wife proposes a solution. “Honey,” she signs, “Why don’t we agree on some simple signals? For instance, at night, if you want to have *** with me, reach over and squeeze my left breast one time. If you don’t want to have ***, reach over and squeeze my right breast one time.”
The husband thinks this is a great idea and signs back to his wife, “Great idea! Now if you want to have *** with ME, reach over and pull on my ***** one time.” “And if you don’t want to have ***, reach over and pull on my *****… fifty times!”
30 Jan 2009, 15:53 pm
#21 Tbozknows:
Cipriani is half decent at English club level, unfortunately that level is so low it basically means buggerall when he’s up against opposition of any real quality….and that is where he gets exposed.
30 Jan 2009, 16:13 pm
Damn straight!
The Springbok is owned by all the Soringbok Supporters around the world!
30 Jan 2009, 16:20 pm
#29 Yetirat:
Yes but why did a second string mid-table Pom team demolish Boland, which as you know is a CC first division team?
30 Jan 2009, 16:48 pm
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn… we know…
30 Jan 2009, 18:56 pm
So Stofile stuffed up? Are you surprised? Why?
30 Jan 2009, 19:18 pm
#31 RedLion roars again:
It was Boland’s second stringers that played against Saracens B on Wednesday. The first team will be playing against the Stormers tomorrow.
30 Jan 2009, 20:48 pm
Jeezas! We need a Sports Minister that actually knows about sport and cares about it and is not concerned about playing petty little political games! I reckon Habana would make a great Sports Minister (obviously not now while he’s still playing rugby) or at least a great ambassador for South African sport. He’s intelligent, articulate, very modest too but also he’s getting involved to an extent with the grassroots of the game. After the AIs he teamed up with Jason Robinson to get schools in the UK to donate kit to schools in deprived areas in SA. This sort of initiative is exactly what we need to develop sports in South Africa. However I do think he would be too naive politically to be able to navigate the shark-infested waters of ANC politics!
It makes me sick (like Watson!) to think that Stofile is more concerned about wasting time with petty political squabbles and squandering millions of rand which could be used to build decent rugby and cricket pitches in the townships along with funding coaching schemes for the kids. South Africa could be a real heavyweight sporting nation if the limited available resources are put to good use!
In the turbulent climate of political interference in South African sport we still seem to be able to produce brilliant cricketers and rugby players – so how is it we can’t even manage 1 gold medal at the Olympics and our football team is absolute kak?! Stofile needs to go asap and we need to get in somebody who actually knows about sport and not some doos who only cares about the longevity of his unremarkable political career!!
30 Jan 2009, 20:50 pm
#33 TheTackler: Are we not allowed to give our opinions about it? Should it not be a concern that the sports minister is a complete doos who is doing far more harm than good? Oh wait you don’t care you’re a Kiwi these days, so why should you care?
30 Jan 2009, 20:55 pm
#24 stodders: Cipriani has style? LOL the only style I saw involving Cipriani was Ruan Pienaar chasing him down in style! Basically if you’re a sportsmen in Britain and you go out with a B-list celebrity the British media will make you out to be some sort of god and the coaches feel pressurised to pick you fearing a media backlash! That is how Beckahm was able to stay in the England team despite lacking any form for a long time.
30 Jan 2009, 23:49 pm
#36 Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke: Don’t vote for a party with utter morons like Stofile in their midst.
31 Jan 2009, 05:16 am
What ever happened to public accountability?
Or are these people ‘untouchable’?
That R11m ‘expo’ at the Beijing olympics should have been enough to fire Stofile’s arse. That did it for me.
Stofile wouldn’t have survived a minute in American politics.
31 Jan 2009, 07:57 am
Here we go again – only in Africa…. Like Mugabe, these unnecessary debates just won’t go away. Good on Owen Deans for getting the facts. At least he seems efficient and precise. One would think that government department tasked with the life and death matter of sport would move on but I fear the buggers are too obstinate and pre-occupied with their inflated egos to do so. If our leaders had some vision they would downsize this white elephant Sports dept into some minor portfolio looking after the soccer world cup and when that’s over cut the thing all together. It would save the hard-pressed SA taxpayers millions.
31 Jan 2009, 14:05 pm
#24 stodders: Stodders, you make me laugh.. “Show pony” lol. I think that describes Cips in a nut shell. most of his show Pony stuff is done unnecessarily. If a specific scenario calls for a trick then I am all for it.. Cipriani is busy trying to please the crowd.. Instead of playing the game.
Johnny Wilko is the man as his game is detailed and emaculate. Johnny kicks well, tackles well and passes well. Maybe he does not have the pace of Carter or Cip, but he does enough. Even Butch is better than Cip. Butch does not goal kick well but he does everything else.
31 Jan 2009, 14:08 pm
#29 Yetirat: You are right, but the dude does not tackle which is punishable at international level.
31 Jan 2009, 14:09 pm
#34 Robzim: Boland, they are third rate SA team at best. No Boks play for Boland.
31 Jan 2009, 20:08 pm
#36 Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke:
Possibly you’re new to this forum, but FYI TheTackler @ 33 is the Stofile on the blog … forever stuffing up.
He’s been pretty quiet since we proved him wrong again in RWC 07 and showed we ARE the only team worthy of world champion title (again – thats now a 50% RWC win record), and specially as our predictions of France ( which his team thumped in all the unimportant games when France led them into a false sense of security – as usual ) giving him a whipping came to pass.
Now that we whipped Aus in the cricket (which used to be his second whip) and took our rightful #1 spot again he’s been careful not to post anything ‘intelligent’ in the cricket forums too … specially as it was a half-strength SA team whipping them in the last game, with (what he would label a quota) getting 4 top wickets on his debut.
But spare a thought for him … must be difficult bouncing around in the bowl with no side to stick on, and only getting up for a few gasps once in a while when we keep pulling the chain to flush.
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