OAPI TRADEMARK REGISTRATION

OAPI Trademark Registration

The African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI) is an union organized by former French colonies for the protection of intellectual property rights. It comprises of 17 member states and a trademark upon registration will be protected in all member states of OAPI.

Member States of OAPI Trademark

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Required Information and Documents

• Corporation Applicant: Business Registration Certificate / Certificate of Incorporation
• Individual Applicant: Identity documents and address proof
• Application form
• Trademark image
• Power of Attorney

Trademark Registration Flow

• Trademark Search
• Initial Application
• Substantive Examination
• Publication
• Issuance of Certificate

Preliminary Trademark Search

The Preliminary trademark search shall be conducted to avoid legal complications in the future. The point of a trademark search is to ensure that the trademark is not already under application or registered by another entity in order to reduce the possibilities of the rejection or opposition raised.

Duration of Application

6-12 months

Validity Period

The registration is valid for 10 years.

Renewal

• Renewal application for 10 years may be submitted 6 months before the expiry.

Intellectual Property Legal Forms