The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents his compliments and has the honor to notify the deposit by the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), on December 15, 2022, of its instrument of accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement), adopted at Geneva on May 20, 2015.
The said instrument contained declarations according to which:
- in accordance with Article 28(1)(iii) of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, OAPI has been duly authorized, in accordance with its internal procedures, to become party to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement and declares that, pursuant to the Bangui Agreement Instituting an African Intellectual Property Organization, Act of December 14, 2015, Annex VI, under which regional titles of protection can be obtained in respect of geographical indications, applies;
- OAPI avails itself of the possibility provided for in Article 29(4) of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement to extend by one year the time limit referred to in Article 15(1) of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, and the periods referred to in Article 17 of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, in accordance with the procedures specified in the Common Regulations; and
- In accordance with Article 7(4) of the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, OAPI wants to receive an individual fee to cover its costs of substantive examination of each international registration.
The Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement will enter into force, with respect to the African Intellectual Property Organization, on March 15, 2023.
December 15, 2022