Businesses in 16 African nations will have a simpler and more affordable method to obtain and maintain their industrial design portfolios after their countries joined a key international treaty in the area Monday.
The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), representing 16 African countries, acceded Monday to the Geneva Act of The Hague Agreement Concerning International Registration of Industrial Designs, one of three treaties governing such registration.
An industrial design is the ornamental or aesthetic feature of a product that adds to its commercial value, such as its shape, pattern and colour.
The World Intellectual Property Organization issued a statement Monday saying the OAPI's move is an important step towards a truly international design registration system for African countries.
The United Nations' agency for intellectual property protection welcomed the accession of OAPI to a key global treaty on industrial designs.
OAPI member states includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
Source:Xinhua
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