African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI)
History of OAPI
Libreville Agreement (September 13, 1962)
- The African and Malagasy Industrial Property Office came into being on September 13, 1962
- Three principles governed the Libreville Agreement
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- Uniform legislation
- Common office
- Centralization of procedures
- It covered African French-speaking countries
- It dealt with patents, trademarks and industrial designs
- Signatories to the Libreville Agreement: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Mauritania, Madagascar, Niger, Republic of Congo and Senegal
Bangui Agreement (March 2, 1977 - revised on February 24, 1999)
- Governed intellectual property in the 15 member States
- Constituted the OAPI territory
- Member States are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo
- The OAPI territory currently covers an area of nearly 8 million square kilometers with approximately 100 million inhabitants
- Headquarters: Yaounde, Cameroon
Organs of OAPI
- Administrative Council
- Directorate General
- High Commission of Appeal
Tasks of OAPI
- Grant of titles of protection
- Documentation and information
- Participation in the technological Ddevelopment of its member States
Protected Subject Matter
The 1999 Act of the Bangui Agreement governs
- Patents
- Utility Models
- Trademarks and Service Marks
- Industrial Designs
- Trade Names
- Geographical Indications
- Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits
- New Plant Varieties
- Literary and Artistic Works
Intermediaries between the OAPI Headquarters and its user community
- National Liaison Structures under the responsibility of the Ministries of Industry in each member State
- Industrial Property Agents
