Côte d’Ivoire does offer copyright protection to foreign works in accordance with international agreements to which it is a signatory. Côte d’Ivoire is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and a signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Trademark Law Treaty, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
The Ivoirian Intellectual Property Protection Office (Office Ivoirien de la Propriété Intellectuelle, OIPI) receives and examines applications for Industrial Property certificate, similar to patent protection, and transmits them to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). Depending on the type of IP, OIPI registers patents on a first-to-file or first-to-invent basis. This approach is also the case for registering trademarks. American businesses benefit from familiarizing themselves with OIPI regulations before introducing patented or trademarked products or services to the Ivoirian market. OIPI staff can provide advice on the application process for an Industrial Property Title. Companies may wish to seek advice from local attorneys or IP consultants who are experts in Ivoirian law. For legal assistance, check this link: Legal Assistance - U.S. Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire (usembassy.gov)
Check https://www.stopfakes.gov/welcome to see if the U.S. Office of Intellectual Property Rights has an IP Snapshot for the country in question, and link to it if available. In any foreign market companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. For background, link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.
For more information on the banking system please read the section Capital Markets and Portfolio Investment of the Investment Climate Statement.