Register and protect your brand – OAPI
It is done, after mature reflection you have found a sign for your products; this sign allows your products to stand out from that of your competitors in the market : You have just created your brand.
When you are eager to get involved in a service provider activity, you are brainstorming to find a name that strikes associated with a logo that can impress and attract customers: This is again your brand.
Registering your brand
Does registering a brand seems simple and obvious for you?
Not all. Choosing and registering a brand is very important. Several questions need to be addressed:
• Is the sign that distinguishes you (a logo, a word, a colour, a sound, a smell…) protectable, that is, is it admissible as a trademark
• Doesn’t a third party already have the right to prohibit you from using this sign?
• Does your company need to be identified in your country or worldwide?
• How to register this sign?
• Once obtained, is your ownership of this trademark permanent?
• How can others use your brand while receiving your share of this exploitation?
What we can do for you
Always with you
We can accompany you throughout the life of your brands.
We offer a wide range of legal services for the acquisition, consolidation, valuation and exercise, in attack as in defense, of your trademark rights. We help you to:
• Check the availability of your trademark and its admissibility for registration: prior art searches and obtaining copies of registration certificates or applications published at the OAPI;
• Filing with the OAPI:
Preparation of applications for trademark registration, drafting of product and service labels,
Filing and follow-up of applications for trademark registration with the OAPI,
Responses to official notifications to the OAPI;
• Perpetuate your acquisition by ensuring the long-term monitoring of your title deeds, in particular ensuring the renewals of your brands and the entries of change of name, address or ownership in the registers concerned;
• Protect your rights against those who would infringe or challenge them: disputes over all aspects of trademarks, including seizures-counterfeiting, legal actions for infringement (attack or defense), opposition to registration and actions for nullity (invalidation);
• Value your investment by helping you to exploit your brands for example when entering into licensing agreements, franchise agreements, assignments, co-ownership of trademarks and other related agreements;
• Evaluate a brand or brand portfolio, particularly in the context of a sale or redemption transaction;
• Consolidate and rationalise a portfolio of brands to ensure management adapted to the company’s strategy and more economical.
Our Services
IP Obtaining
Trademarks, models and designs, patents Trade names, plant varieties, traditional knowledge.
IP protecting
Litigation, Anti-Counterfeiting, Monitoring and watch services
IP Valorization
IP Benchmark , IP Audit, Technology Transfer, Financial Evaluation, draft agreement
IP Training
Trademarks, models and designs, patents Trade names, plant varieties, traditional knowledge.
Request a free consultation
Our team will give you more information about our services, our fees, and especially how we can help you
Frequently asked question
What are the types of trademarks that can be protected at OAPI?
Trademarks that can be protected at the OAPI can be of visible or audible types, namely:
Denominations in any form such as words, the assembly of words, surnames taken in themselves or in a distinctive form, particular, arbitrary or fancy denominations, letters, acronyms and numbers;
Figurative signs, such as drawings, labels, stamps, borders, reliefs, holograms, logos, computer graphics;
Sound signs such as sounds, musical phrases, audiovisual signs, and serial signs;
How much does it cost to register a trademark?
Trademark registration includes official fees and consultancy services provided by our trademark professionals.
To register a brand at the OAPI, the fee is FCFA 360,000 for a class of products or services.
The support of a professional is essential in order to obtain the widest possible scope of protection in the jurisdictions of interest. Before applying for registration, it is always advisable to verify that a new mark will not infringe the previous rights of third parties, to avoid the risk of lawsuits against you and to respect the intellectual property rights of others.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an address on the Internet, a unique identifier, referring to a business organization or entity.
Originally, the domain name was like a simple address on the Internet, but, with the considerable development of the Internet and the development of the digital economy, the domain name has acquired a new dimension as a distinctive sign of a society. Conflicts with other distinctive signs, and in particular registered trademarks, therefore arise. The domain name is increasingly strategic for companies.