Mauritius joins ARIPO

Mauritius is the 20^th country to join the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (“ARIPO”). On 25 September 2020, Mauritius acceded to the Lusaka Agreement, which is an important step in the country’s goal to harmonise and facilitate the protection of intellectual property in the African region.

The current member states of ARIPO are

Botswana
The Gambia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
eSwatini
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Mauritius has yet to sign any of the protocols, including the Harare Protocol for Patents, Utility Models and Designs, the Banjul Protocol for Marks, the Swakopmund Protocol for Indigenous Biological Resources and Traditional Knowledge and the Arusha Protocol for Plant Breeders’ Rights.

In order to implement these treaties, Mauritius will need to amend its existing legislation adopted in 2019.

The Government of Mauritius places a strong emphasis on the importance of fostering creativity and innovation for economic growth and development in the country.

Reviewed by Ilse du Plessis, an Executive in ENSafrica’s IP department.

For more information, please contact:

Pravin Barthia

ENSafrica | Mauritius | IP | Senior Associate

pbarthia@ENSafrica.com

+230 5499 0737