African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Djibouti
DRC
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
eSwatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Republic of the Congo
Rwanda
Saint Helena
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Somaliland
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Western Sahara
Zambia
Zanzibar
Zimbabwe
Trade Mark Services & Trade Mark Lawyers
Patent
Design
Morocco
Forms part of
OAPI
ARIPO
International Arrangements
Morocco is a party to the Madrid System for international registration of trade marks and the Paris Convention for Protection of Industrial Property. It is possible to claim priority under the Paris Convention.
Classification
Morocco follows a multi-class filing system in terms of the 10th edition of the Nice Classification.
Registration Procedure
The total time from filing to registration is approximately 8 months. Trade mark applications are examined for compliance with formal requirements only and are published in the official gazette after acceptance. Trade marks may be opposed within 60 days from the date of publication.
Common Law and Well-Known Trade Marks
Well-known trade marks in terms of the Paris Convention are recognised in Morocco.
Duration of Registration, Renewal and Non-Use
Trade mark registrations are valid for 10 years from the date of filing and may be renewed indefinitely for 10-year periods thereafter.
A registered trade mark may be cancelled on action by an interested party if it has not been used for a continuous period of 5 years after the date of registration.
Customs Recordal
Customs recordals are possible.
Forms part of
OAPI
ARIPO
International Arrangements
Paris Convention
Convention establishing World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Budapest Treaty
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Agreement concerning the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS)
Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification
Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Types of Patents
Patents of Invention
European Patent Validations
Novelty Requirements
Absolute novelty
Grace Period/Prior knowledge
12-month grace period
Examination procedure
Formal and substantive examination (with a search forming part of the substantive examination process)
Duration & Maintenance
20 years from filing date (the European filing date if a validation).
Annual maintenance fees.
Working Requirement
No use requirement, but failure to work the invention within four years from the filing date may constitute a ground for the grant of a compulsory license
Forms part of
OAPI
ARIPO
International Arrangements
Paris Convention
Convention establishing World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs
Agreement concerning the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS)
Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs
The Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs
Types of Designs
Industrial designs (no utility models)
Classification
Industrial Classification for Industrial Designs under the Locarno Agreement Tenth Edition
Novelty Requirements
Absolute novelty
Grace Period/Prior knowledge
12-month grace period for disclosures at official or officially recognised international exhibitions
Examination procedure
Formal examination
Duration & Maintenance
5 years from the application date renewable for 4 consecutive periods of 5 years, for a total duration of 25 years.
Maintenance payments every 5 years.
Working requirement
No use requirement
10th edition