OAPI is an acronym for Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (In English: African Intellectual Property Organization). The organization is made up of 17 member states who are mostly French speaking with its headquarters in Younde, Cameroon. By filing one Intellectual Property application in its headquarters, you get protection in all the member states.
The member states are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Comoros.
The only way Intellectual Property applications are filed in these member states is by filing a single application in the OAPI headquarters. National filings are not permitted.
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PCT- Yes (National phase deadline is 30 months from the priority date.)
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Paris Convention - Yes
General Information
Filing Requirements
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Simply signed Power of Attorney.
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Published PCT application with specification, drawings and claims.
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International Search Report and International Preliminary Report on Patentability.
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Priority document (if not filed in the international phase).
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Deed of Assignment (if not filed in the international phase).
Annuities
Annuities are due on the anniversary of the international filing date.
Validity
A Patent is valid for 20 years from the effective filing date.