AFCON Eliminations: Celebrating African Football and Intellectual Property Development

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Round of 16 and quarterfinals have concluded, with eight nations exiting the tournament: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), DR Congo, Mali, and Mozambique. As an African IP law firm with associate offices across the continent, it is difficult to pick favourites on the pitch. Instead, we celebrate each nation’s achievements both in football and intellectual property development. Here is our dual scoreboard:

Algeria claimed AFCON glory twice, in 1990 and 2019. Their maturity extends beyond football to a matured IP system offering comprehensive protection: trademarks, patents, designs, integrated circuit layouts, copyright, and plant breeders’ rights. Notably, Algeria is one of the African Registries that conducts both formal and substantive patent examination.

Benin hasn’t reached an AFCON semifinal yet but excels in IP protection through membership in the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI). This regional body covers 17 member states, i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. A single OAPI application automatically covers all 17 member states without the possibility of designation and direct national filing.

Burkina Faso has a solid soccer team and comprehensive IP regime via its membership with the African Intellectual Property Organisation providing protection for trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, and plant breeders’ rights.

Cameroon stands as an AFCON powerhouse with five championship titles. The Cameroonian soccer star Samuel Eto’o holds the tournament’s all-time scoring record with 18 goals across 6 tournaments. Cameroon also hosts OAPI’s Secretariat, positioning it at the center of African IP development. Recently, OAPI introduced substantive patent examination, marking significant progress for the region.

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has three AFCON titles and produced football legends including Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. Like other OAPI members, the country offers streamlined IP protection through the OAPI regional system, where member states have renounced their national sovereignty to convey to the holder of IP right a single title of protection valid in each member country.

DR Congo, a two-time AFCON champion, offers a distinctive patent system. Beyond standard direct national filings, DRC permits registration of foreign-granted patents domestically through a “patent of importation” mechanism.

Mali hosted AFCON in 2002 while already benefiting from OAPI membership.

Mozambique may not dominate AFCON records but maintains a strong IP framework through dual registration options via membership in the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

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