Designs in Africa

Industrial Design protection often forms part of a comprehensive IP portfolio and protection of industrial designs thus goes hand-in-hand with other forms of IP protection. Our patent attorneys can assist in the identification, protection, prosecution and enforcement of industrial designs in South Africa and abroad. Our attorneys have the necessary experience to advise clients on the steps to take to protect their designs in the various African jurisdictions. Unfortunately, as with other forms of protection such as patents and trade marks, Africa does not have unified laws when it comes to protection of designs. We therefore, need to advise clients on the following aspects in respect of each of the African countries:

• the filing requirements;
• whether a country is a member of the Paris Convention;
• whether a country forms part of the Hague Agreement which provides protection in multiple jurisdictions;
• whether they are members of the two regional organisations being ARIPO and OAPI; and
• any other peculiarities that need to be considered in a particular country.

It is also important to note that design protection is not available in all African countries. Please contact us for more information. For further filing requirements for each of the African countries and for the various regional systems, please refer to the Africa page.