There are no general performance requirements applied to investments. Generally speaking, foreign investors have access to all forms of remunerative activity on terms equal to those granted private Ivorians. The acquisition and disposition of property rights, including intellectual property, is covered by the Ivorian Civil Code. In OAPI, rights registered in one member country are valid in all. Patent validity is ten years, with two five year extensions possible.
Trademarks are valid for ten years and are renewable indefinitely.
Cote d'Ivoire has approved these revisions in its Council of Ministers and will submit the Accords to the National Assembly for ratification by the end of 1999. Though in theory prohibited, counterfeit clothing, textiles, footwear, watches, computer software and audio and video tapes can be found, particularly among street vendors. In January 1999, the Ivoirian Government established a new Office of Intellectual Property within the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Industrial Development. The Ivoirian Government, working with the IMF and the World bank, has taken a number of steps to encourage a more transparent and competitive economic environment. Efficient Capital Markets and Portfolio Investment Cote d'Ivoire's financial system, while limited in scope, is sound and functional.