The Republic of Mauritius has joined PCT, but what does this really mean for Mauritius?
Mauritius has become the 157 th Contracting State of the PCT. This means that from 15 March 2023 applicants will now be able to use the PCT system to obtain patent protection in Mauritius.
Mauritius has been a member of the Paris Convention since 1976, however, it was still one of the few countries in Africa that was not a member of the PCT. As there are many benefits of filing a PCT application, this is good news for Mauritius.
With the accession of Mauritius to PCT, applicants will now have a wider reach in Africa when considering to enter national and/or regional phase in Africa. As the need to protect intangible assets keeps growing, so too will a country’s economy if the path to obtaining IP protection is made easier for the applicant.
This is a positive step which will undoubtably benefit both applicants and The Republic of Mauritius.
For more information on IP rights in Mauritius please contact Hahn & Hahn at africa@hahn.co.za
