African Regional Intellectual Property Organization

Map of current ARIPO members in blue, nations with observer status in green.

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[6]
Country Date of Membership or Entry into Force
Lusaka Agreement Harare Protocol Banjul Protocol Arusha Protocol
 Botswana 6 February 19856 May 198529 October 2003X
 Gambia 15 February 197816 January 1986X6 July 2015
 Ghana 15 February 197825 April 1984X6 July 2015
 Kenya 15 February 197824 October 1984XX
 Lesotho 23 July 198723 October 198712 February 1999X
 Liberia 24 December 200924 March 201024 March 2010X
 Malawi 15 February 197824 October 19846 March 1997X
 Mozambique 8 February 20008 May 2000X6 July 2015
 Namibia 14 October 200323 April 200414 January 2004X
 Rwanda 24 June 201124 September 2011xX
 São Tomé and Príncipe 19 May 201419 August 201427 February 20166 July 2015
 Sierra Leone 5 December 198025 February 1999XX
 Somalia 10 March 1981XXX
 Sudan 2 May 197824 October 1984XX
 Swaziland 17 December 198717 March 19886 March 1997X
 Tanzania 12 October 19831 September 19991 September 1999X
 Uganda 8 August 197824 October 198421 November 2000X
 Zambia 15 February 197826 February 1986XX
 Zimbabwe 11 November 198024 October 19846 March 1997X

Observers

Organs of ARIPO

ARIPO’s organisational structure consists of four organs: the Council of Ministers, the Administrative Council, the Secretariat, and the Board of Appeal.

Rights covered

Together, the two protocols constituting the organisation cover copyright, industrial design, patent, trademark, traditional knowledge and utility model rights.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 See the list of ARIPO-administered treaties at WIPO website. Consulted on July 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Member States". ARIPO. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  3. ↑ ARIPO web site, Rwanda Joins ARIPO Archived November 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine., 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. Archived from the original on 23 July 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.aripo.org/about-aripo/membership-member-states
  7. ↑ "ARIPO Patent Office homepage". Retrieved 2008-02-12.
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