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African Regional Intellectual Property Organization

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Map of current ARIPO members in blue, nations with observer status in green.[needs update]

The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), formerly African Regional Industrial Property Organization, is an intergovernmental organization for cooperation among African states in patent and other intellectual property matters. ARIPO was established by the Lusaka Agreement[1] of 1976. It has the capacity to hear applications for patents and registered trademarks in its member states who are parties to the Harare (patents), Banjul (marks) and Arusha (plant varieties) protocols.[1] ARIPO also features a protocol on the protection of traditional knowledge, the Swakopmund Protocol,[1] signed in 2010 by 9 member states of the organization. However, that has not come into force yet, as of July 2013.

ARIPO has the WIPO ST.3 code AP. Its 19 member states[2] are mostly English-speaking countries. Rwanda became the 18th member state on March 24, 2010,[3][4] and São Tomé and Príncipe on May 19, 2014 (the Harare Protocol entered into force on August 19, 2014 with respect to São Tomé and Príncipe).[5]

The name of the organization changed from African Regional Industrial Property Organization to African Regional Intellectual Property Organization in 2005.

Members

Memberships as of 11 December 2015
Country Date of Membership or Entry into Force
Lusaka Agreement Harare Protocol Banjul Protocol Arusha Protocol
Botswana 6 February 1985 6 May 1985 29 October 2003 X
Gambia 15 February 1978 16 January 1986 X 6 July 2015
Ghana 15 February 1978 25 April 1984 X 6 July 2015
Kenya 15 February 1978 24 October 1984 X X
Lesotho 23 July 1987 23 October 1987 12 February 1999 X
Liberia 24 December 2009 24 March 2010 24 March 2010 X
Malawi 15 February 1978 24 October 1984 6 March 1997 X
Mozambique 8 February 2000 8 May 2000 X 6 July 2015
Namibia 14 October 2003 23 April 2004 14 January 2004 X
Rwanda 24 June 2011 24 September 2011 25 March 2013 X
São Tomé and Príncipe 19 May 2014 19 August 2014 X 6 July 2015
Sierra Leone 5 December 1980 25 February 1999 X X
Somalia 10 March 1981 X X X
Sudan 2 May 1978 24 October 1984 X X
Swaziland 17 December 1987 17 March 1988 6 March 1997 X
Tanzania 12 October 1983 1 September 1999 1 September 1999 X
Uganda 8 August 1978 24 October 1984 21 November 2000 X
Zambia 15 February 1978 26 February 1986 X X
Zimbabwe 11 November 1980 24 October 1984 6 March 1997 X

Observers

2

Rights covered

Together, the two protocols constituting the organisation cover copyright, industrial design, patent, trademark, traditional knowledge and utility model rights.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c See the list of ARIPO-administered treaties at WIPO website. Consulted on July 4, 2013.
  2. ^ "Member States". ARIPO. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  3. ^ ARIPO web site, Rwanda Joins ARIPO, News, Thursday, 4 August 2011. Consulted on September 16, 2011.
  4. ^ Rwanda Joins ARIPO, PCT Newsletter, September 2011, No. 09/2010, p. 1.
  5. ^ "Sào Tomé and Príncipe". ARIPO. Retrieved 30 May 2014.; "Sao Tome and Principe Joins ARIPO". PCT Newsletter, No. 06/2014. WIPO. June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  6. ^ "ARIPO Patent Office homepage". Retrieved 2008-02-12.
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