JEE Africa Expertise
Africa Intellectual Property

Africa Intellectual Property

As trusted protectors and skilled prosecutors, our world-renowned IP team is Africa’s go-to expert for registering, safe-guarding, and facilitating the buying and selling of clients’ IP across every industry sector.

IP Due Diligence/IP Audits

Trademarks 

We offer comprehensive trademark services across Africa, including African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) jurisdictions.. Our expertise  spans:

  • Trademark searches and filings

  • Prosecution and office action responses

  • Renewal management

  • Opposition, cancellation, and enforcement handling

  • Portfolio audits and strategic filing guidance

  • Trademark watch services for continent-wide brand protection

 

Copyright 

Our copyright practice supports creators, content owners, and businesses in securing and enforcing rights across various works, including literary, artistic, musical, audiovisual, and digital content. Services include:

  • Copyright registrations

  • Drafting and negotiating licensing and assignment agreements

  • Rights clearance for media, advertising, and content distribution

  • Representation in infringement claims

  • Framework design for managing ownership and royalties in collaborative projects

Patents 

We guide clients through the patent process from concept to protection, offering comprehensive services including:

  • Patentability assessments

  • Drafting and filing patent applications (national and regional)

  • Prosecution management

  • Renewal handling

  • Licensing and commercialization strategy advice

  • Freedom-to-operate analyses

  • Infringement risk assessments

  • Patent due diligence for transactions

 

Industrial Designs 

We help clients protect the visual and aesthetic aspects of products, from consumer goods to packaging and fashion, through:

  • Design registrations

  • Renewal management

  • Enforcement actions

  • Strategic filing advice for product launches and market entry

  • Infringement dispute resolution

 Our expertise supports clients in safeguarding their design assets across Africa.

 

Geographical Indications (GIs) 

We provide legal and regulatory support for protecting geographical indications, offering expertise in:

  • Qualification and registration procedures

  • Enforcement strategies across African markets

  • Collaborating with agricultural cooperatives, food producers, craft industries, and government agencies

Our services help secure GI protection, supporting origin-linked branding, rural development, and export competitiveness. 

 

Trade Secrets and Confidential Information 

We help clients protect  trade secrets and confidential business information through:

  • Drafting non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements

  • Advising on internal policies and access protocols

  • Supporting legal action in case of misappropriation or breach.

Our expertise establishes robust frameworks for safeguarding sensitive information

 

Certification Marks and Collective Marks 

We support organisations, cooperatives, and industry bodies in developing and registering certification and collective marks across Africa, offering expertise in:

  • Registrability advice

  • Regulatory compliance

  • Use guidelines

  • Enforcement strategies

Our services promote quality standards, regional origin, and collective reputation in the marketplace.

Africa Intellectual Property 

  • World-Wide IP Registration for NIPRID:  We managed global trademark registrations for pharmaceutical innovations developed by a Nigerian research institute, securing protection for brands like  NIPRISAN and NICOSAN internationally. 

  • Portfolio Management for Several Multinational Banks:  We managed trademark portfolios and filings across African states for several global financial institutions. 

  • Trademark Portfolio Management for FMCG: We oversaw comprehensive portfolio management, filings, renewals, and strategy for a leading FMCG company active across Africa. 

  • Continent-Wide Trademark Registration: We handled trademark filings across Africa for one of South Africa’s largest asset management firms. 

Our clients think highly of us

  • They have a strategic approach and offer the personal touch.

    Legal 500 EMEA

    2024

  • Jackson, Etti & Edu advertises itself as a law firm for Africa and it lives up to its billing.

    World Trademark Review

    2024

  • They handle matters across the continent with extreme competence and can be trusted 100 per cent.

    World Trademark Review

    2024

Successes

  • Assisted foreign investors in the financial, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and entertainment sectors to obtain relevant business permits necessary for legally commencing business in Nigeria

  • Assisted a leading investor in obtaining an approval in respect of its investment in Nigeria at the National Pension Commission.

  • Advised a world leading financial services IT provider in respect of the implementation and provision of internet banking services in Nigeria.

    Services provided under this transaction included the registration of Technology Agreement at National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and advising on sundry regulatory framewo

  • Assisted a subsidiary of a foreign company to obtain pre-investment approval from the National Lottery Board.

  • Assisted foreign investors in the financial, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and entertainment sectors to obtain relevant business permits necessary for legally commencing business in Nigeria