African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)

PVP Office Contact Information

African Regional Intellectual Property Organization
Address: 11 Natal Road,
Belgravia, Harare,
Zimbabwe
P.O. Box 4228

Tel: +263242794054 / +263 242 794065/8 / +263242794073 / ,
+2638677005131 / +2638677005132
Website: https://www.aripo.org
E-mail: registry@aripo.org

Specific requirements in relation to UPOV PRISMA

Are there any specific requirements in relation to UPOV PRISMA that are not required when filing an application directly to the PVP Office?

No requirements have been notified by the PVP Office.

Application data

Will I receive confirmation that my application data has been received successfully?

The ARIPO Office shall issue to the applicant/Agent an acknowledgement receipt bearing the application's filing date.

Plant Material

When applicable, where should I send the plant material?

This information on when and where plant material should be sent, will be sent directly to the applicant at the address of the applicant or the agent given on the application form.

The costs of the technical examination are borne by the applicant and must be paid directly to ARIPO.

ARIPO may, when appropriate, take a decision on whether the technical conditions for protection (DUS) are met, based on an existing DUS Report for the same variety. The applicant should submit such an existing DUS report together with the application at ARIPO.

The applicant must provide all information, documents, or material requested by ARIPO for the technical examination. If this is not done, the application will be rejected unless the applicant gives reasons.

Payment

How and when do I pay the PVP application fee?

The PVP application fee must be paid before submitting the application data via UPOV PRISMA, and proof of payment is submitted as an attachment.

Payment of the PVP application fee can be made by bank transfer or deposit to any of the Bank accounts available at the following link: https://www.aripo.org/storage/resources-banking-details/1667856870_ARIPO_banking_Details.pdf.pdf

Information on the applicable PVP fees is available on the ARIPO website at the following link: https://www.aripo.org/resources/fee-schedules

Will I receive confirmation that the payment has been received?

The ARIPO office will issue an acknowledgement receipt to the applicant or agent upon receiving proof and confirmation of the payment.

Agent / Local Representative

Do I need an agent or local representative in the country, if I am not a resident?

Applicants from outside the Contracting States to the Arusha Protocol must apply through an agent or representative residing in any of the Contracting States.

An agent or representative is not mandatory for applicants from within the Contracting States to the Arusha Protocol. Applicants who are residents in, and nationals from the Contracting States do not need an agent.

UPOV PRISMA Note: Agents that have already created an AGENT Account in UPOV PRISMA can indicate the territories in which they operate. Those agents will appear in a list. In cases where agents need to be accredited by the PVP Office, the agents will only be added to the list of agents available in UPOV PRISMA after the PVP Office has confirmed that the necessary accreditations have been given.

Filing Date

What is considered to be the filing date? (Note: For instance, are there any documents that the applicant must submit to the PVP offices in addition to the application form in PRISMA and the documents required in the application form in PRISMA. If so, please indicate such documents. Are there any documents that the applicant must send in paper format to the PVP Office. If so, please indicate such documents.)

The filing date will be allocated once all the required documents and application forms, including proof of payment of the application fee, are submitted through UPOV PRISMA.

UPOV PRISMA Disclaimer: The authority entrusted with the task of granting breeders’ rights (PBR authority) retains full responsibility in relation to the requirements concerning the filing date of applications in accordance with the legislation of the member of the Union concerned.

Dates for submission

For testing or plant material purposes, are there dates for the submission of applications?

Dates for submission when there is a need to do DUS examination abroad (i.e. in another UPOV member):

For varieties where a DUS examination is needed and will be performed abroad, application deadlines will be according to the deadlines applicable at selected authorities for the DUS examination. Upon request, ARIPO can provide information to applicants on such deadlines for the species in question.

Dates for submission when there is an existing DUS Report:

For varieties that the DUS report will be purchased from another authority where the DUS examination has been conducted previously, no deadline applies, and applications can be received throughout the year.

Additional requirements

Are there any additional requirements?

The Office will email the applicant if there are any additional requirements to be met or if there is missing/incorrect information.