ARIPO Design Applications

ARIPO is the African Regional Industrial Property Organisation for English-speaking Africa.  The member countries are Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  Please note that protection can alternatively be obtained on an individual basis in any of these countries via a national application in such country.

ARIPO is a member of the International Convention.

Filing Requirements

The requirements for filing a design application in ARIPO are as follows:

1. Power of Attorney (simply signed) - can be late filed within 2 months;
2. 6 sets of formal drawings - required on the day of filing;
3. Assignment of Design - can be late filed, no set deadline; and
4. Priority document with verified English translation - can be late filed  within 3 months and 6 months, respectively.
5. It is possible to designate the ARIPO member states to which the application applies. 

Costs

Please click here for our design tariff of charges for ARIPO, from which you will note that the cost of filing is dependent, inter alia, on the number of designated states and the number of priority claims.

ARIPO design applications only undergo examination for formalities i.e. no substantive examination will take place. ARIPO design applications are normally allowed within 12 months of filing whereafter a Registration and Publication Fee is payable as reflected on our attached tariff of charges.

Please note further that no fees are payable in the individual designated countries upon grant as granted ARIPO designs automatically extend to all designated countries i.e. there is no procedure after grant similar to the validation procedure for a European patent.

Renewal Fees

Renewal fees fall due annually commencing on the anniversary date of the filing date.