The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), headquartered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, is the common industrial property office for all seventeen (17) of its member states. In these states, the applicable legislation regarding intellectual property is the Bangui Agreement.
The OAPI centralizes all procedures for issuing industrial property titles, which are valid throughout all member countries. Any filing made with the administration of one of the member states or with the Organization is considered a national filing in each member state.
Therefore, there are no national protection systems that coexist with the regional system.
Sanctions for infringements of industrial property rights fall under the jurisdiction of the courts of each Member State.
Final judicial decisions on the validity of titles in one of the Member States shall be authoritative in all other States, except those based on public policy and morality.
The collective management of copyright and related rights is entrusted to collective copyright management organizations in the Member States.
