African Regional Intellectual Property Organization
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) and Banjul (marks) 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 will enter 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
Observers
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 See the list of ARIPO-administered treaties at WIPO website. Consulted on July 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Member States". ARIPO. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ ARIPO web site, Rwanda Joins ARIPO, News, Thursday, 4 August 2011. Consulted on September 16, 2011.
- ↑ Rwanda Joins ARIPO, PCT Newsletter, September 2011, No. 09/2010, p. 1.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "ARIPO Patent Office homepage". Retrieved 2008-02-12.