Can a Trademark Application be opposed?

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The following can be grounds for opposition:

• proprietary rights
• the mark is descriptive
• the mark is not distinctive
• the mark is misleading, deceptive or disparaging
• bad faith
• breach of copyright
• notorious or well-known mark
• the mark is identical to an earlier registered trademark of another party
• the mark is identical to an earlier application by another party
• the mark is identical a well known trademark in South Africa
• the applicant cannot prove bona fide claim to ownership or genuine intention to use the mark
• the mark includes a sign that is customary in the established practices of the trade or in the current language of the business
• the mark includes national flag or armorial bearings of the Republic or another state or an international organization