ARIPO grows

The Republic of Liberia has become the latest African country to join ARIPO. They deposited the Instrument of Accession to ARIPO on the 24^th of December 2009 and both the Harare and the Banjul Protocols will enter into force with respect to the Republic of Liberia on the 24^th of March 2010.

Liberia becomes the 17th member state of ARIPO, the 16th amongst states party to the Harare Protocol (for patents, industrial designs and utility models) and the 9th amongst states party to the Banjul Protocol (for trademarks).

States currently party to the Harare Protocol are:

Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

States currently party to Banjul Protocol are:

Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

The Republic of Liberia is also party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

This note which appears on the Aripo website was kindly sent to Afro-IP by Charles Pundo (right) of ARIPO.

Afro Leo would like to know whether Liberia has domesticated the Aripo Protocols.