On 25 September 2020, the Republic of Mauritius officially deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Lusaka Agreement with the Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).
Although Mauritius has been a full member of ARIPO for the past four years, it had not previously acceded to the Harare or Banjul Protocols. As a result, it was not eligible for designation in trademark, patent, utility models or design applications filed through the ARIPO system.
However, on 27 May 2025, the Republic of Mauritius took a significant step forward by depositing its Instrument of Accession to the Harare Protocol on Patents, Utility Models, and Industrial Designs. This milestone was marked at the 4th Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Conference, held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and was received by ARIPO Director General. With this accession, Mauritius becomes the 21st ARIPO Member State to join the Harare Protocol.
As a result, effective from 27 August 2025, applicants will be able to designate Mauritius in ARIPO applications for patents, utility models, and industrial designs.
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