It is the second multi-national organisation to join the global trade mark system, following OHIM, and means Madrid now covers more than 100 countries.
OAPI comprises Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Togo.
The Protocol enters into force for OAPI on March 5 2015.
Pictured: OAPI Director General Paulin Edou Edou and WIPO Director General Francis Gurry (photo: WIPO)
