Liberia Joins ARIPO

Liberia deposited its instrument of accession to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) on 24 December 2009, and the Harare protocol on Patents and Industrial Designs Within the Framework of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization will enter into force with respect to Liberia on 24 March 2010, bringing the number of Contracting States of ARIPO to 17, and the number of States party to the Harare Protocol to 16.  Therefore, any international application filed on or after 24 March 2010 will include the designation of Liberia for an ARIPO patent, as well as for a national patent (applicants should be aware that, although any international application filed before that date will include the designation of Liberia for a national patent, it will not include the designation of that State for an ARIPO patent).

Furthermore, as from 24 March 2010, it will be possible for nationals and residents of Liberia to file international applications with ARIPO as receiving Office, in addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Archives, Patents, Trade Marks and Copyright (Liberia) or the International Bureau of WIPO. 

ARIPO’s announcement regarding the accession by Liberia is published at:

http://www.aripo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=1&Itemid=18

(Updating of the PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes B1 (LR), B2 (AP) and C (AP))