On 25 September 2020, the Republic of Mauritius deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Lusaka Agreement with the Director General of ARIPO.
The accession of Mauritius brings the total number of states who have acceded to the Lusaka Agreement to twenty. Whilst Mauritius is now a full member of ARIPO it has not yet acceded to the Harare or Banjul Protocols and therefore cannot be designated in patent, trade mark or design applications filed via the ARIPO system.
Although Mauritius recently amended its IP laws by the passing into law of the Industrial Property Act of 2019, the new Act does not have any provisions recognising IP rights granted via the ARIPO system. It will therefore be necessary for lawmakers in Mauritius to amend the 2019 Act to recognise its obligations, if and when it accedes to the Harare or Banjul Protocols.
Due to its stable economy and the top ranked spot in Africa, as the best place to do business (World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report 2020), Mauritius remains an important jurisdiction.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
