A to Z of African official IP websites: no. 4: Botswana

In this, the fourth in Afro-IP's series of visits to the official IP websites of African states, Afro-IP's stylish investigator Kingsley Egbuonu visits the Republic of Botswana. As in his recent cyber-trip to Benin, he reports that the online scenery is a little tame. Kingsley writes:

Republic of Botswana

Overview: Bostwana is a member of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) www.aripo.org. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) www.mti.gov.bw (in English, © dated 2010) is the government department responsible for intellectual property in Bostwana.

Copyright Office

• The Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property.
• There is no website for this office.

Industrial Property Office

• The Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property.
• There is no website for this office.

Conclusion

The Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (RCIP) is the competent office in charge of intellectual property administration in Bostwana.

Currently, the RCIP does not have a dedicated website; however, the MTI’s website does hold basic information on intellectual property in Bostwana.

Intellectual property proprietors and/or their representatives may find the MTI’s website (in English) useful, in terms of procedure, tips and the law in Bostwana.

Another source of information is http://www.gov.bw/en/Business/Sub-audiences/Small--Medium-Businesses/Intellectual-Property/ (in English and Setswana, © dated 2011).

You can contact Kingsley on Twitter at @IPinAfrica

Earlier reviews:
Algeria
Angola
Benin