Adams & Adams visits OAPI Headquarters in Cameroon

Towards the end of September 2024, Adams & Adams Partners, Simon Brown and Nicky Garnett and Africa Practice Manager, Menzi Maboyi, travelled to Cameroon to visit our Associate Office and to hold meetings with the OAPI Director General (DG), Mr Denis Bouhoussou and his team at the OAPI Headquarters in Yaounde..

This was an opportune time within which to travel and hold discussions with the OAPI Secretariat as a way of strengthening the close working relationship that we have with OAPI as one of the largest users of the system. Although Adams & Adams is based in South Africa we are able to work with OAPI via our OAPI office.

We visited our OAPI office and reviewed their operations, noting the increase in the size of the office which complements our objectives to continue to improve efficiencies and offer the best service to our clients. Our OAPI office continues to operate at a high level and is one of the flagship offices in the Adams & Adams Africa Network.

At the OAPI Headquarters, we were warmly welcomed by the DG and his team. We discussed operational issues of concern as well as strategic initiatives in which to collaborate further in promoting the OAPI system with our clients and broadly.

Exciting developments were shared by the Secretariat in respect of the introduction of Substantive Patent Examination and the implementation of Annex I of the Bangui Agreement with effect from 1 January 2025. We were advised that the Examination Guidelines had been drafted in French and would also be translated into English. Further updates will be provided once we have received the Guidelines and are able to share the new processes to be implemented.

Discussions were also had on the new fee categories that are set to be introduced and these will also be shared with our clients once the Guidelines are published.

The Secretariat was excited to learn of the launch of the L2Pro (Learn to Protect) Africa program, where Qualcomm have partnered with Adams & Adams, to provide a free online learning program which provides information on patents, trade marks, industrial designs and copyright to assist and empower start-ups, SMEs and researchers in Africa to protect, secure and maximise their innovations. For more details on the program, please click on the following link, https://l2proafrica.com . The content currently includes information on the following jurisdictions: ARIPO, OAPI, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda. More African jurisdictions will be added during the course of next year.  

Overall, the trip to OAPI highlighted the importance of our travel initiatives in establishing common ground and a shared vision on the development of IP on the continent with IP practitioners and administrators alike.

For more information on filing requirements at OAPI, please send us an email to oapi@adams.africa.

Simon Brown meeting the OAPI DG, Mr Denis Bouhoussou (R)

(L – R): Mr. Fady Diallo (Director of Trademarks and other Distinctive Signs), Carlton Akkum (Adams & Adams OAPI), Menzi Maboyi, Nicky Garnett, Simon Brown, Mr Denis Bouhossou (OAPI DG), Mr. Mondésir Panouala (Deputy Director General), Mr. Maurice Batanga (Director of Legal Affairs), Mr. Guy Francis Boussafou (Director of Patents and other Technical Creations), Mrs Magui Nnoko (Director of Prospective and Cooperation), Ms. Mercy Asima (Head of International Cooperation Service)

With the team from our OAPI Office.