The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), is an intergovernmental Organization that grants and administers Intellectual Property (IP) titles on behalf of its Member States and provides IP information to its clientele in the form of search services.

ARIPO was established by the Lusaka Agreement 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.

MEMBER STATES

The present members of the Organization are:  Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  (Total:  19 states) The ARIPO Secretariat is based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

PROCEDURE FOR FILING OF A PATENT

Filing an Application

Applications may be filed by the applicant (who can be an inventor or his/her assignee) or by the authorized representative of the applicant (attorney, agent, or legal practitioner) who has the right to represent the applicant before an industrial property office of any of the Harare Protocol contracting states. Representation is mandatory for applicants who are not resident or whose principal place of business is not situated in a contracting state. To File the Applicant has to submit the following:

• a completed ARIPO Form 3 (Request form)
• a description of the invention
• one or more claims
• one or more drawings (if any)
• an abstract
• prescribed application fees or a written undertaking to lodge the fees
• designation of at least one state

Applications can be filed directly at ARIPO by:

• e-filing
• email
• in person
• registered mail
• courier

An application can also be filed through a contracting state.

PROCEDURE FOR FILING OF A TRADEMARK

Filing an Application

An application may be filed by any qualified natural or legal person, either in person or through an authorized representative. The Authorized representative is a trademark agent or legal practitioner who is duly recognized by the national industrial property office of the contracting state as having the right to represent the applicant. Where the applicant neither is an ordinary resident nor has a principal place of business in any of the Banjul Protocol contracting states, such applicant must be represented on filing an application.

Contents of an ARIPO Mark Application

Application for registration of a trademark should be made on Form M1, the application form must contain the following:

• the applicants name and address
• designation of the Banjul Protocol contracting state(s)
• corresponding class/ classes of the goods and / services in accordance with the Nice Classification
• name(s) of colors(s) claimed if any) as a distinctive feature of the mark a reproduction of the mark in the form of a two
• dimensional, graphic or photographic reproduction, a declaration of a actual use or intention to use the mark

Applications can be filed directly at ARIPO by:

• e- filing
• email
• in person
• registered mail
• courier

Applications can also be filed through a contracting state.