info@promarkip.com

Al Qusais, Dubai, UAE

Morocco

Country Data

Official Name:

Kingdom of Morocco

Capital:

Rabat

Area:

716,550 sq km

Population:

 37,112,080 (2020 estimate)

Official Language:

Arabic, Berber (official languages), French (often the language of business and government)

GDP:

US$ 332.358 billion (PPP, 2019 estimate)

Currency:

Moroccan Dirham (MAD)

Work Days:

Sunday – Thursday

Conventions/ Treaties

  • The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (since June 16, 1917)
  • Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (since July 30, 1917)
  • Madrid Agreement for the Repression of False or Deceptive Indications of Source on Goods (since July 30, 1917)
  • Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (since July 30, 1917)
  • Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (since October 20, 1930)
  • Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration (signed on Oct 31, 1958)
  • Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (since October 1, 1966)
  • WIPO Convention (since July 27, 1971)
  • Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite (since June 30, 1983)
  • Nairobi Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol (since November 11, 1993)
  • WTO/ TRIPS Agreement (since January 1, 1995)
  • Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (since October 8, 1999)
  • Patent Cooperation Treaty (since October 8, 1999)
  • UPOV Convention (since October 8, 2006)
  • Trademark Law Treaty (July 6, 2009)
  • Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (since July 20, 2011)
  • WIPO Copyright Treaty (since July 20, 2011)
  • WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (since July 20, 2011)
  • Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (signed, June 26, 2012)
  • Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (signed on June 28, 2013)
Trademark

National Legislation

  • Law No. 17‐97 of 2000 on the Protection of Industrial Property (as amended and supplemented by Law No. 31‐05 on the Protection of Industrial Property)

Basic Information

Creation of rights:

First-to-file jurisdiction (subject to occasional exceptions)

Basis for filing:

Intent to use acceptable – prior use is not a prerequisite.

Well-known marks:

Special protection may be available. Nevertheless, local registration of the mark is highly recommended.

Types of marks:

Trademarks, Service Marks, Certification Marks, Collective Marks.

Priority:

6-month priority claim under the Paris Convention

Madrid System:

Available – Morocco is a member of the Madrid Union

Filing system:

Multi class application is permitted.

Classification:

Nice Classification 11th edition

Who can be Applicant:

(1) Individuals; (2) Corporate entities (3) Joint application.

Examination:

On formal and absolute grounds.

Publication:

In Trademark Journal – which is an online publication.

Opposition period:

2 months from the date of publication.

Duration of registration:

10 years from the filing date – renewable for further periods of 10 years each upon request of the trademark owner as early as 6 months before the expiration date.

Renewal grace period:

6 months upon payment of additional late fee.

Use requirement:

A trademark registration becomes vulnerable to cancellation upon the request of an interested party in case of non-use of the mark for a period of 5 consecutive years.

Registration timeframe:

6 to 8 months (approximately for smooth registration)

Search

Official Search:

Available for i) word marks; and ii) device marks.

Scope of search:

Includes all applied-for and registered marks, whether national marks or international marks in Morocco under the Madrid System.

Turnaround time:

5 working days.

Ways to Obtain Protection

  • Filing of national application with or without priority claim under the Paris Convention.
  • Applications under the Madrid System.

Filing Requirements

New Applications

  1. Simply signed Power of Attorney from the Applicant.
  2. Certified copy of the priority document with verified French or Arabic translation, if priority is claimed. This document may be submitted within 3 months of the filing date.

Renewal of Registration

  1. Simply signed Power of Attorney from the trademark proprietor.
  2. A simple copy of certificate of registration of the mark.

Change of Name / Address Recordation

  1. Simply signed Power of Attorney stating the new name/ address of the trademark owner;
  2. Certified copy of certificate of change of name/ address of the owner with verified French or Arabic translation; duly notarized.

Assignment Recordation

  1. Simply signed Power of Attorney from the Assignee.
  2. A duly notarized Assignment document with verified French or Arabic translation.

Merger Recordation

  1. Simply signed Power of Attorney from the surviving entity.
  2. A duly notarized Merger document with verified French or Arabic translation.

License Recordation

  1. Simply signed Powers of Attorney from the trademark proprietor and the licensee with verified French or Arabic translation;
  2. A duly notarized License Agreement with verified French or Arabic translation.