African Regional Intellectual Property Organization


The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, formerly African Regional Industrial Property Organization, is an intergovernmental organization for cooperation among African states in patent and other intellectual property matters. 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, Banjul and Arusha protocols. ARIPO also features a protocol on the protection of traditional knowledge, the Swakopmund Protocol, signed in 2010 by 9 member states of the organization which entered into force on May 11, 2015, and was amended on December 6, 2016.
ARIPO has the WIPO ST.3 code AP. Its 19 member states are mostly English-speaking countries. Rwanda became the 18th member state on March 24, 2010, and São Tomé and Príncipe on May 19, 2014.
The name of the organization changed from African Regional Industrial Property Organization to African Regional Intellectual Property Organization in 2005.

Members

Observers

Organs

ARIPO’s organisational structure consists of four organs: the Council of Ministers, the Administrative Council, the Secretariat, and the Board of Appeal.

Rights covered

Together, the two protocols constituting the organisation cover copyright, industrial design, patent, trademark, traditional knowledge and utility model rights.