The Republic of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean renowned for its strategic location, strong legal framework, and economic diversity, has taken a significant step toward strengthening its intellectual property regime. On 27 May 2025, during the 4th Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Conference (HIPOC) held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Mauritius officially deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Harare Protocol on Patents, Industrial Designs and Utility Models (the “Harare Protocol”), becoming the 21st member state to join the Protocol administered by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). With effect from 27 August 2025 the Republic of Mauritius may be designated in ARIPO applications for patents, utility models, and industrial designs.
The Harare Protocol, adopted on 10 December 1982 in Harare, Zimbabwe, provides a unified and streamlined framework for the registration and management of intellectual property rights across its contracting states. The current members include Botswana, The Kingdom of Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, and most recently, the Republic of Mauritius.