Botswana

Overview

Botswana secures intellectual property rights through a structured framework covering trademarks, patents, and industrial designs. All applications and registrations are managed by the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA), which oversees relevant formalities and exams.

Although Botswana is a member state of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), it maintains its own procedures for filing and enforcing IP rights within its territory. Botswana’s combination of national and regional integration provides applicants with both local protection and broader regional options.

International Conventions

Botswana is a party to several international IP agreements. These include:

• Paris Convention

• Berne Convention

• TRIPS Agreement

• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

• Madrid Protocol

• Banjul Protocol

• Harare Protocol