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OAPI
OAPI refers to the African Intellectual Property Organization/ Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle. The 17 member states of OAPI are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Under the OAPI unitary system, a single application covers all the 17 member states.
01
Trademarks
02
Patents
03
Industrial Designs
OAPI Trademark Process
Learn more about the process
Trademark Review
Your lawyers will help you to review the trademark(s) to be registered and advise you of the best protection approach according to the OAPI laws and requirements.
Classification
With the knowledge of your goods/services, your lawyers will assist you with identifying the most appropriate international class for your trademark.
Trademark Search
Although not mandatory, a trademark clearance search should be conducted to establish if your trademark can be registered and used in the market.
Filing
Your lawyers will submit your application for registration after reviewing and confirming that all formal requirements by the OAPI IP Office have been met.
Examination
At this stage, OAPI will examine whether your trademark fulfills the formal requirements of the office.
Publication
After your trademark is registered, it is published and third parties may submit an opposition against it being registered. The opposition period is three (3) months. The role of your lawyers is to address and respond to any oppositions and ensure that your trademark proceeds to registration.
Registration
After the opposition period and assuming there is no opposition, the trademark is registered and a certificate of registration is issued.
Watch Service
Registration of the trademark is just the beginning, there is need for vigilance in the market. Your lawyers will help you lookout for potential infringement through our trademark watch service.
Renewal
Trademark registration is valid for 10 years after which it has to be renewed. We got you covered.
IP Office
The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is headquartered in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon in West-central Africa.
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