In Mauritania, to obtain protection and recognition for your trademark, it must be registered through OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization). A single OAPI registration grants protection not only in Mauritania, but also in all 17 OAPI member states, including countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, Togo and others.
Filing through OAPI:
- Centralizes the procedure in one registration with effect in multiple countries.
- Gives you an exclusive right over your mark in all member states covered.
- Makes it easier to enforce your rights against confusingly similar marks in any of those jurisdictions.
If you register a combined trademark (with both word and figurative elements) through OAPI, your exclusive right is limited to the exact form in which it is filed. If you plan to use and protect the word element separately from the logo (or vice versa), it is advisable to file additional trademarks for those elements alone.