African Intellectual Property Organization

The Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle or OAPI (English: African Intellectual Property Organization) is an intellectual property organization, headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The organisation was created by Bangui Agreement of March 2, 1977. The Bangui Agreement was subsequently amended in 1999.

Its 17 member states are mostly French-speaking countries.

The Bangui agreement gave the following responsibilities to OAPI:

The organisation has three organs: The Administrative Council; the High Commission of Appeal; and the Directorate General.

The Administrative Council consists of representatives of OAPI Member States. Their functions include drawing up regulations for the implementation of the agreement, establishing the financial regulations and the fees to be paid, supervising the implementation of the regulation and creating ad hoc committees on specific issues. They are also to draw up appropriate regulations for the implementation of six international treaties and agreements, which all the Member States has agreed to enter under the Agreements. The official sessions of the Administrative Council are held annually though unofficial sessions can be called at any time to address pressing issues. The council is headed and chaired by a president.

The High Commission of Appeal is composed of three members selected by drawing lots from a list of representatives designated by Member States. Its functions include to rule on appeal from rejections of applications for titles of industrial property protection, rejections of request for the maintenance or extension of terms of protection, rejection of requests for reinstatement and decisions on opposition.

The Directorate General is placed under the authority of the Director General and responsible for the executive work of the organisation. It is responsible for the daily activities of the organisation and implements the decisions of the Administrative Council and other tasks arising from provisions of the agreement.

The OAPI Centre for Mediation and Arbitration is a neutral, international and non-profit dispute resolution provider that offers alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options. OAPI mediation, arbitration, expedited arbitration, and expert determination enable private parties to settle their domestic or cross-border IP and technology disputes out of court.

The organisation is currently headed by Paulin Edou Edou from the Republic of Gabon. He replaced Anthioumane Ndiaye in 2007 and he is currently serving his second mandate at the head of this 54-year-old institution. His current and final term ends in 2017.

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