Botswana - Register Patent

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. To register a patent in Botswana, you have to submit your complete application to the Company and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) office. View the CIPA contact details in the “Office Locations & Contacts” section below
2. Obtain the registration form 1 from the CIPA’s office or you can download the form for their website:Link ( under Intellectural Prpoerty Forms section; click on “Request for Grant of a Patent or Utility Model Certificate”to download the form)
3. Complete the application form 1 in triplets and obtain all three copies of items shown in the checklist (IX) of the application form. Note that each item listed in the checklist should be written on a separate sheet and attached to the application form
4. Then write a request letter addressed to the Registrar of Industrial Property requesting to register a patent
5. Visit the CIPA office and submit the complete application along with the request letter attached in a single file to the CIPA official at the service desk
6. The official will verify your application and forward it to the responsible authority for processing
7. Then your application will be sent to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) in Harare, Zimbabwe for a Substantive examination to determine if the patent may be registered. Note that this can take a period of 18-24 months.
8. At the end of the substantive examination, ARIPO will forward its assessment report to CIPA
9. Upon receiving the report, CIPA will inform you through your contact details if the application is approved for the grant or rejected
10. If approved and accepted, you will be required to pay for the grant and publication fees.
11. After receiving the notification to pay for the grant and publication fees, write a letter to CIPA accepting to pay the required fees
12. Proceed and pay the fees and after payment, you will be issued with a certificate of registration of the grant

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Required Documents

• Complete application form 1
• Request letter
• Description of the patent
• Claim of the patent
• Abstract of the patent
• Drawings of the patent
• Signed power of attorney
• Statement justifying the applicant’s right
• Statement that certain disclosures be disregarded
• Priority document/s (certified copy of earlier application where applicable)
• Payment receipt

Office Locations & Contacts

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Address: Plot 54358, Prime Plaza, CBD, Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: +267 367 3700
Fax: +267 318 8130
Email: [email protected]
Contact numbers:

• (+267) 3673797
  
• (+267) 3673758
  
• (+267) 3673783
  
• (+267) 3673748
  
• (+267) 3673700
  

CIPA website: Link

Eligibility

• Individuals and Companies who wish to register a patent in Botswana are eligible to apply

Fees

Application fee:

• Individuals and small companies: BWP150
• Large Companies: BWP300

Registration fee:

• Individuals and small companies: BWP150
• Large Companies: BWP300

The fees are subject to change, contact the relevant authority for more fees details

Validity

• In Botswana patents granted are valid for 20 years from the date of applying.

Documents to Use

Application form 1:Link

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The application may take up to 24 months to be processed

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• You can apply to amend the information in your patent certificate by applying to CIPA
• You are supposed to pay the annual maintenance fee for the patent or it will be withdrawn if you fail to pay the fees

Required Information

• Applicant details
• Inventor information
• Divisional application
• Declaration

Need for the Document

• Registering a patent gives you exclusive rights to own the patent for 20 years in Botswana

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

CIPA: Link

Others

More information which might help people.