Validation of European patents in Morocco with effect from 1 March 2015

CASABLANCA - On 17 December 2010, the President of the European Patent Office and Morocco's Minister for Industry signed an agreement on the validation of European patents (validation agreement). On 21 November 2014, the King of Morocco promulgated an amendment to the country's industrial property legislation creating the basis for the validation system. In the meantime, a decree, an order and a notice from the Director-General of the Moroccan Industrial and Commercial Property Office (OMPIC) have clarified the details of the validation system, a press release by EPO. 

This agreement enters into force on 1 March 2015. From that date it will be possible to validate European patent applications and patents in Morocco, where, after validation, they will confer essentially the same protection as patents granted by the EPO for the now 38 member states of the European Patent Organisation. 

Validation in Morocco is mainly governed by Articles 50.1 to 50.5 of the country's industrial property law, as amended and supplemented, and by an information notice from the Director-General of the OMPIC. 

Validation in Morocco occurs at the applicant's request. 

Validation for Morocco is deemed requested for any European or international application filed on or after 1 March 2015. It is not available for applications filed prior to that date, or for any European patents resulting from such applications.