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Trademark & patent toolkit — OMPIC for Moroccan founders

Protecting your brand, invention or design in Morocco is fast and cheap if you know which OMPIC counter to use. This toolkit covers trademarks, patents, designs, copyright deposit and international extension via WIPO.

What OMPIC actually does

OMPIC (Office Marocain de la Propriété Industrielle et Commerciale) is the public office that runs:

• The Registre du Commerce (RC) for every Moroccan company.
• The trademark, patent and design registers.
• The beneficial-owner register.
• The directinfo.ma portal for online filings.

Trademark — registering a brand

Why bother

• Without registration, you cannot stop a competitor from using a confusingly similar name.
• Investors and acquirers expect at least the company name and product name registered.
• Cost is trivial relative to the protection: ~ MAD 2 500 for 10 years.

Step-by-step

1. Search: free pre-filing search at search.directinfo.ma for prior conflicting marks.
2. Choose Nice classes: identify the goods/services classes (1–45) you operate in. Most SaaS founders use class 9 (software), 35 (advertising), 42 (technology services).
3. File: online via directinfo.ma. Upload logo (JPG/PNG), specimen and signed mandate.
4. Pay fees: ~ MAD 1 700 for first class + MAD 200 per additional class.
5. OMPIC examination: 4–6 months. Possible objections, refusals or oppositions.
6. Publication & opposition window: 2 months for third parties to oppose.
7. Registration certificate: issued ~ 8–10 months after filing.

International trademark — WIPO Madrid System

Morocco is a Madrid Protocol member. Once you have a Moroccan filing or registration, you can extend internationally:

• One filing, one fee schedule, up to 130 countries.
• Cost example for EU + UK + USA + GCC: ~ CHF 4 000 base + national fees.
• File via OMPIC as your office of origin.
• Decision per country within 12–18 months.

Patent — protecting an invention

Patentability criteria

• Novelty: not disclosed anywhere worldwide before filing.
• Inventive step: not obvious to a person skilled in the art.
• Industrial application: capable of being made or used.
• Excluded: discoveries, mathematical methods, business methods, software “as such” (software with a technical effect can be patented).

Step-by-step

1. Prior art search — free on PatentScope and directinfo.ma.
2. Draft with a Moroccan or French patent attorney (mandataire en propriété industrielle agréé). Budget MAD 25 000–60 000 depending on complexity.
3. File at OMPIC. Filing fees ~ MAD 1 500.
4. Search report (rapport de recherche) issued by OMPIC in collaboration with the European Patent Office.
5. Publication 18 months after filing.
6. Grant typically 24–36 months after filing.
7. Annual fees rising from ~ MAD 200 (year 2) to ~ MAD 4 000 (year 20).

International patent — WIPO PCT

Morocco is a PCT member. File a Moroccan first filing, then within 12 months file the PCT application designating up to 157 countries. National-phase entries within 30 months. Use a French or Moroccan patent attorney; budget USD 10 000–20 000 for a meaningful international portfolio.

Designs — protecting product appearance

• Cost: ~ MAD 1 000 + MAD 200 per design.
• Duration: 5 years, renewable up to 25 years.
• Useful for hardware, packaging, consumer-product founders (argan oil bottles, surf-gear, agritech sensors).

Copyright & software

Copyright in Morocco is automatic on creation under the Berne Convention. Voluntary deposit at the Bureau Marocain du Droit d’Auteur (BMDA) gives you a date-certain, useful as evidence in disputes. Cost ~ MAD 500.

For software, deposit your source code with BMDA or use a third-party escrow. Many Souss-Massa SaaS founders combine BMDA deposit with a Git tag + INPI envelope Soleau (France).

IP assignment — the founder hygiene step