The African Intellectual Property Organization, better known by its French acronym “OAPI” has its headquarters in Yaoundé – Cameroon. Its 16 member states include:
– The Republic of Benin,
– Burkina Faso,
– The Republic of Cameroon,
– The Central African Republic,
– The Republic of Chad,
– The Republic of Congo,
– The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire,
– The Republic of Gabon,
– The Republic of Guinea – Conakry,
– The Republic of Guinea – Bissau,
– The Republic of Mali,
– The Republic of Mauritania,
– The Republic of Niger,
– The Republic of Senegal,
– The Republic of Togo,
– Comoros Islands,
– Equatorial Guinea.
It should be noted that any trademark registration in OAPI has an effect in all the 16 member states. The protection of the trademark at OAPI takes effect from the date of filing. English and French are the working languages of OAPI.
An OAPI registration covers those territories that are members of OAPI at the time of registration. Following the introduction of the Extension Regulation on December 4, 1998, it became possible to extend rights to territories that join OAPI subsequently, by filing an application for extension.
On January 1, 2008, the Extension Regulation was amended to introduce the concept of automatic extension on renewal. The intention of the amendment is to confirm that all trademarks renewed after December 4, 1998, extend automatically to the countries that are members of OAPI at the time of renewal, effective from the date of renewal.
Please file the Communication form send e-mail to our info@mtppatent.com address/send fax message to +90 312 230 5483 for more information about OAPI processes.