GABON – OAPI

COUNTRY : GABONESE REPUBLIC

CAPITAL : LIBREVILLE

LANGUAGE : FRENCH

 

The African Intellectual Property Organisation known commonly by it’s French Acronym (OAPI) was established through the Bangui Agreement at the Republic of Central Africa and is head quartered at Yaounde, Cameroon.

 

MEMBER COUNTRIES : CAMEROON, BENIN, BURKINA FASO, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CONGO, IVORY COAST, GABON, GUINEA BISSAU, MALI, MAURITANIA, NIGER, SENAGAL, CHAD, TOGO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA.

All the above countries are signatory to the Bangui Agreement which originated at Bangui by the revision of the Accords of Liberville.

 

Legal questions regarding infringement and IP matters requiring litigation are to be adjudicated by domestic courts of such state where conflict arises. Member nations recognise the provisions entrenched in the Bangui Agreement and its annexes as their national law.

Hence, OAPI allows applicants to receive patent protection in all of the 16 jurisdictions with a single application and registration. Therefore, Registration in individual member nations, is no longer possible, as they have had to surrender their National Intellectual Property Law post adoption of Bangui Agreement.


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