The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) is an agency of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in South Africa.

[3] The first months of operation were marked by inefficiency, poor service and large backlogs as the organisation struggled to overcome the legacy of its dysfunctional predecessor, CIPRO.

[4] In April 2013 it was described as "groaning under its own burden of registration under the Companies Act"[5] and suffering from "administrative failures".

[6] In September 2014 the CIPC's new website, intended to automate several routine administrative processes, was criticised as dysfunctional,[7] followed by revelations that the site had no security measures to protect confidential client information.

The information includes the names and addresses of the registered clients.In a media briefing, South Africa's Information Regulator has launched an independent investigation into the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) following a security breach in its systems.