ARIPO AND OAPI SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

A four-year Cooperation Agreement has been signed between the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) [African Intellectual Property Organization]. The Agreement was signed on 9 February 2017 at the ARIPO headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe and is aimed at improving the working relationship between both organisations. It also effectively abrogates the earlier 1996 and 2005 Agreements between ARIPO AND OAPI.

According to ARIPO, the 2017 Agreement creates a 'comprehensive cooperation framework in intellectual property matters' for both organisations.  "In the new Agreement, OAPI and ARIPO have agreed to: work towards the harmonization of their systems; exchange documentation and technical information; mutually cooperate in the development of training and joint capacity building programs including in user awareness. The agreement also requires that either party offers technical assistance to the other when such assistance has been requested for. Importantly too, OAPI and ARIPO agreed to take common positions on major IP issues affecting the Member States of the two organizations at continental and international levels."

ARIPO is made up of 19 member states that are mostly English-speaking African nations and was established by the Lusaka Agreement of 1976 (then African Regional Industrial Property Organization) with the main objective of fostering 'cooperation in industrial property [that] is intended to achieve technological advancement for economic and industrial development of the member states.' Membership is open to states that belong to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) or the African Union (AU).  The OAPI, on the other hand, has 17 member states, mostly French-speaking African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It was set up by the Bangui Agreement of March 2, 1977 to interalia 'implement and apply common administrative procedure deriving from a uniform system for the protection of industrial property as well as the provision of international agreements in this field to which the Member States of the organisation have acceded and providing services related to industrial property'. 

ARIPO and OAPI have developed a joint biannual work plan for 2017-2018 to begin operations with the 2017 Agreement. This includes several prospective activities in the different areas of cooperation, as well as expected results and details of coordination, administration and timelines. A Commission made up of members from both organisations will also meet to assess the level of implementation of the agreed work plans.