The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) found its origins on September 13, 1962 in Libreville, Gabon, where twelve heads of state and government signed the agreement creating the African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Oampi). On March 2, 1977, a first revision in Bangui, in the Central African Republic, transformed the Oampi into OAPI, thus marking a significant evolution of the institution.
The Bangui agreement, which acts as national intellectual property legislation in the 17 OAPI member states was the subject of a first revision on February 24, 1999 in order to adapt it to the new global legal environment which prevailed during this period.
It is the same spirit that guided the second revision of this law occurred on December 14, 2015. This update responds to the evolution of the international context, marked by the adoption of many major legal instruments, in particular:
Coming into force on November 14, 2020, this new agreement modernized the legal framework while preserving traditional knowledge. It introduces innovative provisions concerning geographic indications, encourages technological innovation and creativity, and strengthens the protection of intellectual property rights. In addition to this attachment to the international context, the last revision of the Bangui agreement, while valuing traditional knowledge, aims to make intellectual property a real lever for economic and social development for the Member States.
