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region notes

Cautionary Notice Countries

A number of countries have not adopted set governmental procedures for intellectual property rights, particularly with regard to trademark registration. In those countries, advertisement in the major daily publication provides applicants with necessary rights. The Cautionary Notice countries in the region:

Bophuthatswana
Cape Verde Islands
Ciskei
Comoro Islands
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Madeira Islands
Mauritania
Reunion
St.Thomas & Prince's Island

OAPI Countries

The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) has adopted uniform requirements for the protection of intellectual property rights. Its member countries:

Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Eritrea
Gabon
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Senegal
Togo
map of Africa

The former colonial nations of Africa have retained significant portions of the legal systems of the countries that colonized them. Many of the nations that were former French colonies have unified their intellectual property systems by joining the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI).

OAPI allows an applicant to receive intellectual property protection in all 16 member states with a single application and registration. Registration in individual member nations is no longer possible.