Trademarks in French-speaking Africa
Trademark registration in OAPI
Thanks to OAPI, all the procedures for the protection of distinctive signs in all member countries are centralised, facilitating the process and reducing costs.
Trademarks in French-speaking Africa
Trademark registration in French-speaking Africa is managed within the framework of OAPI, the African Intellectual Property Organisation, which currently includes a total of 17 member states:
Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon, Mauritania, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Congo, Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gabon, Chad, Guinea, Togo.
In order to register your trademarks with the OAPI, it is essential to have the professional support of an Official Industrial Property Agency such as Protectia, which will be able to advise you throughout the process of obtaining protection for your distinctive sign in these regions.
Filing of the application, along with all the documentation, power of attorney and payment of the official fees, at the same cost for up to 3 classes.
Formal examination: once the application is received, the Organisation examines whether the formal conditions are met. Based on this, a file number and date are assigned to the distinctive sign.
Substantive examination: when the required conditions are met, the OAPI will issue a certificate of registration and publication in the BOPI (Official Gazette). Any third party has the right to oppose the related registration or to claim ownership of that mark within 6 months from the date of publication.
Grant of a trademark and issuance of the title.
Do you want to register your trademark in OAPI?
