In 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) of Zambia, with support from the Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global, completed a digitization project of IP documents (patents, utility models, and trademarks) of PACRA.
The objectives of this project included:
- to improve accessibility to documents during examination and processing of applications / registrations;
- to secure and preserve IP files by having them available in both physical and digital form;
- to facilitate the exchange of IP data both regionally and internationally; and
- to improve IP process governance, transparency, and accountability at PACRA
Under this project, approximately 3,112,000 pages of patents, trademarks and industrial designs documents were digitized.
The digitization project has transformed PACRA's Industrial Property Division from a paper-based system into a modern, efficient, and accessible digital repository, improving accessibility, searchability, and preservation of critical intellectual property documentation.