Ethiopia – Accession to Paris Convention and Madrid Protocol

On 1 October 2024, Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers approved the country’s accession to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks. The ratification documents have now been sent to the relevant legislative Parliamentary Assembly for approval. Ethiopia’s accession to these IP treaties and to trade agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), along with the necessary modernisation of Ethiopia’s IP laws, will serve to bring Ethiopia onto the global stage for IP and help to stimulate trade and investment in the country.

The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority is now working closely with local IP practitioners and hosting workshops in preparation for the revisions to the current IP laws, which will bring these laws into alignment with the Paris Convention and Madrid Protocol. We are hopeful that these revisions will include removal of the current strict documentary requirements for patent, design and trade mark applications, for instance the need to file a legalized Power of Attorney and proof of foreign registration at the time of filing trade mark applications.

We will post a further update once any more information becomes available.