Business brief 2012: Cameroon

Patents

How do you register or secure patent rights, and is national or international coverage most appropriate?

Any person wishing to obtain a patent in Cameroon must file an application, via a resident agent, directly with the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), which covers 16 African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon (headquarters), Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo, with a combined population of about 100 million.

If the agent is resident in any of the other member states, s/he can file with the Ministry of Industry.

The content of an application (in English or French) is as follows: