On 20 August 2026, Madd de Casamance from Senegal and Penja pepper from Cameroon received their international registration certificates at WIPO in Geneva, becoming the first OAPI geographical indications registered under the Lisbon system. The registrations can take effect in every country bound by the Lisbon Geneva Act, including the European Union, unless a refusal is notified. Importers, food brands and distributors in Europe, Latin America and Africa should check whether their marks or labels come close to these names.
Key takeaways
- The certificates were handed over at WIPO headquarters on 20 August 2026; OAPI describes them as the first protected geographical indications from its region registered under the Lisbon system.
- OAPI acceded to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on 15 December 2022, with effect from 15 March 2023.
- The Geneva Act had 27 contracting parties on 31 March 2026, among them the EU, Portugal, Switzerland and Peru, but not Mexico, Costa Rica or Cuba, which are bound only by older Lisbon texts.
- In the EU, international registrations from third countries are published and open to opposition for four months, including on the basis of a prior trademark.
What happened on 20 August 2026?
According to OAPI’s announcement of 21 August 2026, the two products, first recognised in their countries of origin and then protected by OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization), received their certificates at the headquarters of WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization). OAPI notes that Penja pepper had also been distinguished by the European Commission.
The step was made possible by OAPI’s accession to the Geneva Act, which WIPO announced on 16 December 2022. Because OAPI grants one regional title for its 17 member states, a single OAPI geographical indication can now be carried into the Lisbon international register.
What does registration under the Lisbon Geneva Act mean?
A geographical indication (GI) is a name that identifies a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristic is linked to its place of origin. Under the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, WIPO publishes each international registration and notifies the other contracting parties (Article 6(4)); each party must then protect it within its own legal system, subject to any refusal (Article 9). Refusals are notified within the time limit set by the Regulations, ex officio or at the request of an interested party (Article 15).
The protection is broad: Article 11 covers use on goods of the same kind from outside the area, use on other goods or services that suggests a damaging connection, and any practice that misleads consumers about origin.
Where the registrations can take effect depends on who has joined the Geneva Act. The list below comes from the members’ list in the Lisbon System Bulletin No. 55.1 (status on 31 March 2026):
| Region | Geneva Act parties, selection (can be bound) | Older Lisbon texts only (not bound by these registrations) |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | European Union, France, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland | Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia |
| Latin America | Peru | Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti |
| Africa | OAPI, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sao Tome and Principe | Algeria |
OAPI registered these GIs as a Geneva Act party, so countries that have not joined that Act are not bound by them, even if they belong to the older Lisbon Agreement.
How do OAPI geographical indications reach the EU market?
The EU joined the Geneva Act in 2020. Regulation (EU) 2019/1753 sets the procedure: the Commission publishes third-country international registrations in the C series of the Official Journal (Article 4), assesses them (Article 5) and, within four months of publication, Member State authorities, third countries or any person with a legitimate interest may oppose (Article 6). The grounds include a conflict with a prior trademark right at EU, regional or national level, genericness in the EU, and harm to products legally on the market for at least five years before publication.
For a company with a similar mark or product name, the opposition window is the moment to act.
What this means for your business
- Run a watch on the Lisbon register and the EU Official Journal for GIs from OAPI states, starting with these two names.
- Audit your trademarks and product labels for geographical terms from West and Central Africa, especially in food, spices and beverages.
- Document good-faith use and filing dates: Article 13(1) of the Geneva Act protects prior trademarks applied for, registered or acquired through use in good faith.
If you need this reviewed across several markets, our cross-border IP strategy team can map where the GIs apply and where your marks are exposed.
When to bring in an adviser
- Missing the opposition window. Four months in the EU passes quickly, and later remedies are narrower.
- Assuming a trademark always wins. The Geneva Act safeguards prior good-faith marks, but bad-faith or descriptive filings get little protection.
- Ignoring Latin America and Africa. Peru and several African states are Geneva Act parties with their own refusal procedures.
Frequently asked questions
What are the first OAPI geographical indications under the Lisbon system?
Madd de Casamance, from Senegal, and Penja pepper, from Cameroon. Both received international registration certificates at WIPO in Geneva on 20 August 2026. OAPI describes them as the first protected geographical indications from its region registered under the Lisbon system, following its accession to the Geneva Act, effective since 15 March 2023.
Are these GIs protected in Spain and the rest of the EU?
The EU is a party to the Geneva Act, so the registrations are notified to it and the Commission follows the procedure in Regulation (EU) 2019/1753: publication in the Official Journal, assessment and a four-month opposition period. Protection in the EU depends on the outcome of that procedure, not on the WIPO certificate alone.
Can a prior trademark coexist with a registered GI?
Article 13(1) of the Geneva Act states that it does not prejudice a prior trademark applied for, registered or acquired through use in good faith. In the EU, a prior trademark is also a ground of opposition against third-country GIs. The outcome depends on the facts, so good-faith evidence and dates matter.
Can IP Global Guard review our marks against these GIs?
Yes. We review your portfolio and labels against the GIs, prepare and coordinate oppositions or observations, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and otherwise through qualified representatives, and coordinate local correspondents in Latin America and Africa from a single point of contact.
How IP Global Guard can help with geographical indications
Africa’s GIs are now entering the international register, and some of them will meet European and Latin American trademarks. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages trademark and GI questions across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa with one strategy and one billing relationship through our trademark protection service.
Send us the marks and product names you use in food and agricultural markets. We will check them against the new registrations and tell you whether an opposition or a coexistence strategy makes sense. Contact our team about your GI review.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the situation on its date of publication.
Sources
- OAPI, Madd de Casamance and Penja pepper have entered the world history of geographical indications (21 August 2026)
- WIPO, OAPI joins Geneva Act of WIPO’s Lisbon Agreement (16 December 2022)
- WIPO, Bulletin of the Lisbon System No. 55.1, list of members (status on 31 March 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement (20 May 2015)
- Official Journal of the EU, Regulation (EU) 2019/1753 (23 October 2019)
