EUIPO-ARIPO virtual Heads meeting

The Executive Director of the EUIPO, Christian Archambeau, held a virtual meeting with Mr Bemanya Twebaze, the new Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) on 11 March 2021.

The main objective of the meeting was to review the current status of activities in both Offices and agree on future steps for cooperation.

The meeting focused on the successful cooperation between members of the EU-funded project team, AfrIPI, as well as the priority areas for technical bilateral cooperation, including exchanges on the adoption of the list of terms from the harmonised database of goods and services in TMclass and promoting practices in line with the ‘Broaden the Cooperation Framework outside the EU’ project, launched in January 2021 under the EUIPO’s Strategic Plan 2025.

Mr Archambeau highlighted the EUIPO’s commitment to enhance cooperation even further with ARIPO and its Member States for the benefit of users.

This international cooperation activity falls under Strategic Driver 1 – Interconnected, Effective and Reliable IP System of the EUIPO’s Strategic Plan. It contributes to Strategic Goal 1.1 – Matching tools and practices with users’ needs with Key Initiative 3 – Enhanced engagement with global partners for the extension of common tools and practices.