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.

THE IPO REPORT: FAST FACTS FOR 2017

Intellectual Property Office, United Kingdom

  

The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its Fast Facts for 2017 which presents the filing statistics for patents, trademarks and designs in 2014/2015, along with other information about intellectual property and the office.

 Some key facts in the Report are as follows:

2014 

• Patent-intensive industries' contributed approx. 13.3% (€265 billion) to UK GDP and 8.3% (2.4 million) of UK employment each year 2011-13.
• The total investment in intangible assets protected by Patents was estimated at £7.5 billion (equivalent to approximately 0.4% of total UK GDP).
•  Investments in IP-protected intangible assets rose from '£47 billion in 2000 to £70 billion'.
•  5,464 patents were granted by the IPO, 2,838 of which were to UK-based applicants.
• An estimated 11% of total UK investment in intangible assets was in assets protected by design rights; 9% in assets protected by unregistered design rights and 2% in assets protected by design registration.
• Trade mark-intensive industries contributed an estimated 38.4% (€762 billion) of UK GDP and 21.5% (6.4 million) of UK employment per year during the period 2011-13.

2015

• 22,801 patent applications were made to the IPO, 14,870 of which were by UK applicants. This makes the IPO as the world’s 12th largest IP office. 
•  5,037 applications were made to the European Patent Office by UK applicants, 7% higher than last year. Also 2,097 European patents were granted to UK businesses.
•  54,320 UK trademark applications were filed, 49, 201 of which were by UK-based applicants. This figure is 6% higher than 2014 and increasing annually over the last 5 years
•  46,299 national UK registrations were filed at the IPO, 41,638 of which were by UK-based applicants
•  4,307 Madrid protocol applications  were filed and  3,780 Madrid protocol trade marks were registered
• UK design applications filed are 31% higher than 2014, owing to the launch of IPO’s new digital “Apply for a Design Service”. The registration fees were also reduced in October 2016 which may also increase this percentage. 
• The IPO’s turnover in financial year 2015/2016 was £80.34 million.

According to the 2016 Taylor Wessing’s Global IP Index, the UK IP system is ranked 3^rd in ' obtaining, exploiting and enforcing IP rights'. The IPO Report highlights that IP crime by organised crime gangs costs the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds annually and causes significant damage to industry. As detailed in the report, officials confiscated 1.6 million consignments of infringing goods at the UK border valued over £56 million. Furthermore, the 2015/16 Trading Standards' IP Crime Survey shows that the top five products investigated in 2015/16 were tobacco, clothing, alcohol, footwear and watches/ jewellery. 

It would be interesting to see what happens to these figures from this year onward, based on all the recent changes in the UK as a result of implications of BREXIT. More UK Patents and Trademarks may be registered in addition to EU-wide registrations to ensure full protection once Britain completes the exit process from the EU.

For the full report, click here.

PUBLIC NOTICE ON AMENDMENT OF THE HARARE PROTOCOL ON PATENTS AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS

Source: ARIPO