Africa
African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI) Trademark Registration Process


OVERVIEW
The African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI) handles trademark registrations for the following – mainly francophone – member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoro Islands, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
In contrast to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), OAPI does not have individual national trademark offices within its member states. Consequently, trademark registration can only be pursued through the regional OAPI system, and applicants are unable to specify particular countries for registration.
OAPI's establishment in March 1977, under the Bangui Agreement, aimed to foster collaboration among member states, create networks, and facilitate the sharing of shared resources. Notably, OAPI became a signatory to the Madrid Protocol in March 2015 and holds membership in the Paris Convention, further enhancing its international intellectual property connections.

01.   INITIAL TRADEMARK SEARCH
Mahtta & Co. strives to make the the trademark registration process smooth. We offer to conduct a trademark search for your proposed mark to give you an idea of how registrable your mark is in OAPI
