OMPIC and EPO celebrate 10 years of validation of European patents in Morocco

Video interview with EPO President Campinos and OMPIC Director General Babqiqi 

The EPO welcomed a delegation from the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC) at its headquarters in Munich this week to celebrate 10 years of successful co-operation under the Validation Agreement. This agreement has facilitated access to the Moroccan market for European patent holders, while supporting innovation, technology transfer, growth and investment in Morocco.

The EPO welcomed a high-level delegation from the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC) on 24-26 September to mark the 10^th anniversary of the entry into force of the landmark validation agreement between the European Patent Organisation and the Kingdom of Morocco. The visit to the EPO’s headquarters in Munich underscores the longstanding and fruitful co-operation between the two offices aimed at strengthening patent protection and fostering innovation.

Since its entry into force on 1 March 2015, the validation agreement has enabled European patent holders to extend their protection to Morocco via a simple, cost-effective procedure using the EPO’s high-quality patent grant process. The agreement has facilitated access to the Moroccan market for European patent holders, while supporting innovation, technology transfer, economic growth, and investment in Morocco.

In April 2025 the US Chamber of Commerce ranked Morocco first in Africa and first among Arab countries in its International IP Index, recognising its strong performance in intellectual property protection.

On the occasion of the anniversary, EPO President António Campinos and OMPIC Director General Abdelaziz Babqiqi sat down for a short video interview. EPO President Campinos said:

“The validation agreement between Morocco and our Organisation has paved the way and showcased the benefits of such a system. The EPO is proud to have supported OMPIC in its capacity-building journey. Today we are witnessing real momentum around validation.”

OMPIC Director General Babqiqi said: “Over the past 10 years, we have seen major advances in our industrial property system, which have helped reinforce the innovation ecosystem and support Moroccan innovators.”

Co-operation with Morocco

The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the validation agreement and set priorities for future co-operation. The EPO and OMPIC explored ways to raise awareness of patents and intellectual property, and discussed how tools such as the EPO’s Deep Tech Finder and Technology Intelligence Platform could help support innovation and strengthen the patent system in Morocco.

The discussion also addressed digitalisation, which the EPO supports at OMPIC, the first office outside the EPO’s member states to implement the new front-office solution for receiving and processing patent applications.

Finally, the two offices reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their co-operation framework. As a concrete step forward, they signed a work plan for 2026-2027, covering joint activities in the areas of the patent grant procedure, support infrastructure, classification, training and awareness raising.

Meeting with patent owners

On 26 September, the OMPIC delegation, together with EPO representatives, also visited the headquarters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Munich - a leading research institute and one of the top EPO applicants from Germany. The institute has validated European patents in Morocco, making use of the benefits that co-operation among patent offices offers to innovators operating globally. Ahead of the visit, a Fraunhofer spokesperson, Dr Peter Ramm, Head of Strategic Projects at Fraunhofer EMFT, explained how validation supports their R&D efforts: "As an applied research institute, it is important for us to develop co-operation beyond Europe. For us as European innovators, validation is the perfect tool for this purpose.”

A decade of impact

Over the past 10 years, the validation system has delivered significant benefits to patent applicants and the Moroccan innovation ecosystem. To date, nearly 19 500 requests for validation of European patents in Morocco have been filed at the EPO, reflecting strong demand from European and international innovators. Europe is the leading region of origin for validation requests, with the highest number coming from applicants in France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy), followed by the US, China, and Japan.

Key technology fields benefiting from validation include pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, which together account for nearly half of all validated patents. Meanwhile, a broad range of other fields, including mechanical engineering and digital technologies, are also represented.

Close co-operation between the EPO and OMPIC has led to knowledge-sharing and exchange of best practices in key areas such as IT tools, examiner training and legal approximation. For example, the EPO has supported OMPIC in launching a new publication server and upgrading its front-office system, which has improved the efficiency of patent processing in the country.

Morocco was the first country to sign a validation agreement with the EPO. Since then, the validation system has expanded, with six agreements now in force. The growing network of validation partners will continue to enhance global access to high-quality patent protection, benefiting both businesses and economies worldwide.