OAPI: taking a PCT application to grant costs an estimated US$2,358, plus about US$17,048 in renewal fees over the patent's life. The PCT regional phase for OAPI must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date. One OAPI patent covers all 17 member states; they have no national patent route of their own. It is also one of the world's leading exporters of aluminium ore (bauxite) and cocoa beans.
Goods where OAPI (17 states) is among the world's 3 largest exporters, has at least 15% of world exports, or that make up at least 25% of its own exports - of at least US$500m a year.
Our estimate is about US$2,358 to take a PCT application to grant in OAPI. That is about US$1,544 in official fees and US$814 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$1,278, search US$309, examination request US$463 and grant / issuance / publication US$309. Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$17,048. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.
The PCT regional phase for OAPI must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date. One OAPI patent covers all 17 member states; they have no national patent route of their own.
OAPI's GDP is US$431.0bn, of which services US$197.2bn, industry US$113.2bn (of which manufacturing US$48.4bn) and agriculture US$91.8bn. Spending a year: households US$277.0bn and health care US$15.7bn. OAPI's exports of goods came to US$87.7bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were crude oil (US$21.0bn, 24% of its exports, #18 in the world), gold (US$18.0bn, 20% of its exports, #7 in the world), aluminium ore (bauxite) (US$8.3bn, 10% of its exports, #1 in the world), cocoa beans (US$6.9bn, 8% of its exports, #1 in the world), natural rubber (US$2.8bn, 3% of its exports, #3 in the world), natural gas and LPG (US$2.8bn, 3% of its exports, #27 in the world), cocoa paste (US$2.4bn, 3% of its exports, #1 in the world), coconuts, Brazil nuts and cashews (US$2.1bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world), refined copper (US$1.9bn, 2% of its exports, #12 in the world) and manganese ore (US$1.8bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.
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