EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Patent Applications
✓ Paris Convention
✓ PCT
✘ ARIPO
✓ OAPI
Equatorial Guinea
Patent protection is only obtainable via OAPI. It is not possible to obtain patent protection via a national filing.
OAPI Patent Applications
All member states are included in a patent application:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo.
Member countries have renounced their national sovereignty to convey to the patentee a single title of protection valid in each country. Designation of countries is not required.
OAPI Filing Requirements
Power of Attorney
Must be filed within 3 months of the date of filing.
Specification, claims, drawings and abstract
Required upon filing.
The documents may be filed in English or French.
Deed of Assignment
Must be filed within 3 months of the filing date.
Priority Document
(if applicable), together with a verified English or French translation.
Must be filed within 6 months of the filing date.
Further Information
Deadlines
30 months from earliest priority date for entering regional phase under PCT.
Examination
Formal examination.
Claim fees
Excessive surcharges are payable for each claim over 10 and additional pages of the specification over 10.
Duration
The patent has a duration of 20 years from date of filing or the PCT International filing date, with no possible extensions.
Maintenance fees/Renewal fees
Annual maintenance fees are payable in advance, calculated from the first anniversary of the filing date or from the PCT International filing date. Maintenance fees for years one and two are payable upon filing the application. There is a 6-month grace period to pay the maintenance fees.