According to Harare Protocol, an invention can be designated as any member state, and it can be protected by submitting an application in one of the member states or directly in the industrial property office in Africa. After receiving the application for invention, the Bureau of African Industrial Property Organization determines that the application meets the format requirements and gives the application date, and then it conducts substantive examination to ensure that the invention is patentable (that is, the invention is novel, creative and can be applied in industry). When the application meets the requirements of substantive examination, a copy of the application will be sent to each designated State Party. According to the reasons stipulated in the protocol, countries reserve the right to notify the ARIPO Bureau that the registration in the relevant designated country is invalid within six months.
The priority shall indicate the time of the earlier application, the acceptance bureau and the number of the earlier application. The earlier application shall be filed within three months after the submission of this application.