ABSTRACT
For Cameroon, as for most member states of the OAPI, the legal framework for the protection of geographical indication is laid out in Annex VI of the 1999 Revised Bangui Agreement establishing an African Organization of Intellectual Property. Although Annex VI of the revised Bangui agreement is seen as accommodating a comprehensive approach in the protection of GI, there are no implementing tools that can aid its implementation at the national level. These tools may take the form of guidelines or codes of conduct for prospective applicants in pursuit of protection of eligible products as GI throughout the OAPI jurisdiction. Perhaps the newly created National Committee on Geographical Indications could eventually be tasked with the development of a specific legal framework for Cameroon. It is worth noting that natural products may actually be granted protection of geographical indication under the Bangui Agreement, which is not the case in other legal systems.
