African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) Member States

OAPI and the Bangui Agreement

The African Intellectual Property Organization (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle — OAPI) is a regional intellectual property organization established under the Bangui Agreement, signed on 2 March 1977.

OAPI is headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and the system primarily operates among French-speaking African countries.

Through the OAPI system, applicants may obtain regional intellectual property protection valid in all member states through a single application. Unlike the ARIPO system, OAPI has a largely unitary structure.

Rights granted under OAPI are automatically effective in all member states, and individual country designation is not possible.

Today, OAPI consists of 17 member states.

Structure of the OAPI System

The OAPI system:

• Provides protection in all member states through a single application
• Uses a centralized examination and registration system
• Does not provide for separate national filing systems within member states
• Has a largely unitary character
• Uses French as the official language
• Although French remains the principal official language, the use of English has increasingly expanded in practice, particularly in recent years

A. OAPI Member States — 17 Countries

B. Intellectual Property Rights Covered by OAPI

Under the Bangui Agreement, OAPI covers the following categories of rights:

1. Patents

• Regional patent system
• Protection in all OAPI member states through a single application
• Country-by-country designation is not available

2. Trademarks

• Regional trademark system
• Registration is automatically valid in all member states

Note: OAPI is a regional organization party to the Madrid Protocol. In international trademark applications, OAPI is designated as a single regional block rather than through individual member countries.

3. Industrial Designs

• Design protection is provided through the centralized system

4. Utility Models

• Provides protection for certain technical innovations

5. Plant Varieties

• System for the protection of new plant varieties

6. Geographical Indications

• Protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications

7. Trade Names and Unfair Competition

• Trade names and unfair competition provisions are also regulated under the Bangui Agreement

8. Copyright and Related Rights

• OAPI also contains regional regulations concerning copyright and related rights

C. Characteristics of the OAPI System

The OAPI system is one of the most centralized regional IP systems in Africa.

Its principal characteristics include:

• Single application
• Single examination
• Single registration
• Automatic validity in all member states

In this respect, OAPI is:

• More centralized than ARIPO
• Closer in structure to EAPO
• However, it is a broader system covering rights beyond patents

Additionally, under the Paris Convention:

• A 12-month priority period applies to patent and utility model applications
• A 6-month priority period applies to trademark and design applications

D. Relationship with National Systems

In OAPI member states:

• The regional system constitutes the principal protection mechanism
• Independent national registration systems do not exist for many categories of rights
• OAPI registrations produce direct legal effect in all member states

Accordingly, the OAPI system constitutes a genuinely regional system rather than a traditional “bundle” system.

E. Notes on the System

• OAPI and ARIPO are entirely separate systems
• Most OAPI countries are French-speaking African states
• The OAPI system is particularly influential in West and Central Africa
• OAPI member states are also parties to international systems such as the Paris Convention and TRIPS
• The principal official working language of OAPI is French. However, particularly following reforms after 2020 and due to the influence of bilingual member states such as Cameroon, the use of English has increasingly expanded in certain filing and administrative procedures.

Sources:

• https://inspire.wipo.int/system/files/oapi.pdf
• https://oapi.int/en/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Intellectual_Property_Organization

Last updated: May 2026