Trademarks in Anglophone Africa
Trademark registration ARIPO
ARIPO is mandated to register trademarks and the administration of such trademarks registered on behalf of the Contracting States to the Banjul Protocol in accordance with the provisions of the Banjul Protocol on Trademarks.
The Banjul Protocol
The Banjul Protocol on trademarks was adopted on 19 November 1993 in Banjul, The Gambia.
The Banjul Protocol establishes a filing system whereby an applicant may file a single application in one of the Contracting States to the Banjul Protocol or directly with the ARIPO Office. Since 1997, the Protocol has been extensively revised to make it compatible with the TRIPS Agreement and the Trademark Law Treaty, as well as to make it more user-friendly.
The states currently (Jan-2023) party to the Banjul Protocol are: Botswana, Cape Verde, Kingdom of Eswatini, Gambia, Kingdom of Lesoto, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Filling an application, along with all documentation accompanied by the power of attorney. It should be noted that ARIPO member states of interest must be designated at the time of submission of the application.
Formal examination: within 4 months. In the absence of objection, ARIPO will issue a Notice of Transmittal sending the application to the designated States for substantive examination.
Substantive examination: Designated States will have between 9 and 12 months to examine the application and inform ARIPO, which will proceed to publish the application in order to open the period for possible oppositions.
Trademark grant: After 3 months, if no oppositions are filed, the application is granted and within 4 months the trademark registration certificate is issued.
Do you want to register your trademark in ARIPO?
