Patent registration in Cameroon. Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in west-central Africa. Cameroon has had a decade of strong economic performance, with GDP growing at an average of 4% per year. Cameroon is part of the Bank of Central African States (of which it is the dominant economy), the Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa (UDEAC), and the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA). Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Cameroon.
Patent in Cameroon
In Cameroon, a patent is temporary ownership of an invention given by the Government to the patentee. During the patent’s term, the patentee will have the right to exclude third-party actions related to the protected subject such as manufacture, commercialization, use, and others.
To protect an invention through patenting means to prevent its unauthorized exploitation by competitors who were not involved in nor bore the invention’s research and development costs.
To be patentable in this country, an invention must meet the requirements of novelty, inventiveness, and industrial applicability.
An invention can also be an improvement on existing items or methods.
Accordingly, there are many other subjects that are not patentable in Cameroon, such as:
- Discoveries as well as laws of nature and mathematical methods;
- Aesthetic designs;
- Systems, rules, and methods for the performance of mental labor, games or management as well as computer programs;
- Presentation of data and abstract ideas.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Cameroon
The necessary documents for patent registration in Cameroon include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s and inventor’s names, addresses, citizenships, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The procedure for patent protection in Cameroon
To obtain a patent in Cameroon, the patent applicant will need to file their patent application to the IP Office of Cameroon.
The patent application will then undergo formal examination and substantive examination to check if it is patentable.
If the IP Office deemed that the invention may be registered in Cameroon, the grant decision will be issued and the patent will be granted shortly to the applicant.
Once a patent is obtained, an invention can not be used, manufactured, duplicated, or sold without the inventor’s authorization.
Patent rights can be enforced in court against third-party infringers who violate the patentee’s rights.
You can see a list of Cameroon IP firms here.