Position, academic and professional qualifications

Sylvia Papadopoulos is a full-time associate professor (effective 1 January 2021) in the Department of Private Law at the University of Pretoria. She holds the degrees BLC, LLB, LLM (cum laude) and LLD from the University of Pretoria. Her doctoral thesis is titled “Selected Aspects of E-Commerce, Digital Content and Consumer Protection in South Africa”.  She has also been admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. 

Academic and professional experience

After graduating with her LLB from the University of Pretoria, Papadopoulos joined the Department of Land Affairs as a legal researcher in the Restitution of Land Division, researching and validating restitution land claims. In 2003 she taught at the Damelin School of Banking.

In 2004 , Papadopoulos joined the Department of Mercantile Law, University of Pretoria as an assistant researcher and part-time lecturer.  She teaches in the fields of Payment Methods and ICT and Cyber Law and has published a number of peer-reviewed publications, presented at both national and international conferences and has made regular appearances on television and radio. 

She is also an author and the editor of a book, Cyberlaw @ SA III: The Law of the Internet in South Africa (2012), Cyberlaw @ SA IV: The Law of the Internet in South Africa (2020) published by Van Schaiks and advised the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on limited aspects of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. She is also the current chair of the New Technologies and the Law Working Group for the prestigious Law Schools Global League (LSGL - https://lawschoolsgloballeague.com/ ) and attended by invite sessions with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) 51st session New York 2015.

Teaching activities

Papadopoulos teaches Payment Methods (VHD 320), ICT and Cyber Law (KUB 420 and KUB 780) at undergraduate level and Advanced ICT and Cyber Law (KUB 802) at postgraduate level

Representative publications

Journals

1. Papadopoulos S & Roestoff M “The Effect of Recent Amendments to the Insolvency Act and Labour Relations Act on Contracts of Employment – A New Era or is it?”  2004  THRHR  302-311.
2. Papadopoulos S “Revisiting the Public Disclosure of Private Facts in a Cyberworld”  2009 Obiter vol 1 30-43.
3. Papadopoulos S “Short Message Services and E Contracting:  Jafta v Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife [2008] 10 BLLR 954 (LC)”  2010 Obiter vol 1 188-200.
4. Papadopoulos  “Electronic Wills with an Aura of Authenticity:  Van der Merwe v Master of the High Court and Another (605/09)[2010] ZASCA 99 (6 September 2010)”  2012 SAMERC LJ  vol 24 93-106.
5. Papadopoulos S “Are We About to Cure the Scourge of Spam?  A Commentary on Current and Proposed South African Legislative Intervention”  2012 THRHR 223-240.
6. Grove L and Papadopoulos S “You Have Been Served ... On Facebook” (2013) THRHR 424-436.
7. Hamman B & Papadopoulos S “Direct Marketing and Spam via Electronic Communications: An Analysis of The Regulatory Framework in South Africa” (2014) De Jure vol 47 42-62.
8. Naude A & Papadopoulos S “Data protection in South Africa: The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 in light of recent international developments (Part 1)” (2016) THRHR 51-68.
9. Naude A & Papadopoulos S “Data protection in South Africa: The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 in light of recent international developments (Part 2)” (2016) THRHR 213-230.
10. Papadopoulos S “A Consumer’s Case for Regulating Electronic Credit and Debit Transfers (EFT’s) in South Africa” (2018) IPLJ vol 9, 32-55.
11. Feng K & Papadopoulos S “Student (K-12) Data Protection in the Digital Age: A Comparative Study” CILSA vol 2 July 2018 121-147.

Books, chapters in books and reports

1. Papadopoulos S & Snail S, Co-editors of “Cyberlaw @SA III”  2012 Van Schaiks.
2. Papadopoulos S, Chapter 1 ‘An Introduction to Cyberlaw’ in “Cyberlaw @SA III”  2012 Van Schaiks. 1-8.
3. Papadopoulos S, Chapter 5 ‘Online Consumer Protection’ in “Cyberlaw @SA III”  2012 Van Schaiks. 63-94.
4. Papadopoulos S & Snail S, Chapter 13 ‘Privacy and Data Protection’ in “Cyberlaw @SA III”  2012 Van Schaiks. 275-314.
5. Papadopoulos S, Chapter 32 ‘Electronic Payment Methods’ in “Commercial Law 5^th ed”, 2012 Lexis Nexis, 459-479.
6. Report/Commentary on the ECT Act Draft Amendment Bill for the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) November 2012.
7. Report for Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Chapter 8 of the Protection of Personal Information Bill 9 of 2009 – October 2011
8. Submission to United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) 51st session New York, 18-22 May 2015 on the Draft Electronic Transferable Records Model Law. [http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/en/commission/working_groups/4Electronic_Commerce.html]
9. Chapter in Book: (edited Van Eeden E & Barnard J) Consumer Protection Law in South Africa 2nd edition  (2017) “Chapter 17 -The internet, computers, technology and consumer protection” Lexis Nexis, ISBN hard copy: 9780409129229.
10. Papadopoulos S, Chapter 32 ‘Electronic Payment Methods’ in “Commercial Law 6^th ed”, 2019 Lexis Nexis
11. Papadopoulos S & Snail S, Co-editors of “Cyberlaw @SA IV” 2020 Van Schaiks.

Tel: +27 (0)12 420 2363

Fax: +27 (0)12 420 4010

E-mail: [email protected]