The African Intellectual Property Organization, better known by its French acronym OAPI, will be setting up two separate directorates in the near future—a Trademark Office and a Patent Office. For the time being, one IP directorate still serves as the registry for both trademark and patent matters. This update comes in light of a resolution adopted at an OAPI board meeting during December 2017.
By way of background, OAPI is comprised of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and Comoros.
This development is indicative of OAPI’s drive and motivation to develop the member states’ own innovation and economic systems.
Should you have any questions, or require any additional information, please contact us at news@sabaip.com