Handicrafts Office Registers 10 Trademarks to Promote Morocco’s Heritage

The Secretariat of State for Handicrafts, Social, Solidarity Economy at the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property has announced registering ten trademarks in efforts to promote cultural heritage in the face of cultural appropriation.

The registration includes eight new trademarks, bringing the total number of registrations to 75, according to a statement from the Directorate of Heritage Preservation.

The registries include collective labels and trademarks, such as the collective certification trademark for the “Caftain Marocain” or Moroccan caftan, which covers a range of caftans made according to traditional craftsmanship.

The collective certification trademark concerns the Zelige de Tetouan,” which is procured through an artisanal manufacturing process, including ornamental patterns and geometric designs associated with floor tiles, and interior and exterior architectural decorative elements.

The list also includes simple trademarks, such as Zellig or Moroccan zellige, as well as Haute Couture Maroc, concerning traditional Moroccan clothing.

Regarding trademark renewals, the registries include Tazerzite, which pertains to all silver jewelry from the Souss-Mass region, including Tiznit, Anzi, Lakhasass, and Ida Ou Semlal.

The statement said that the publication of these label registrations constitutes a step in the process of registering collective certification trademarks before their forthcoming international registration, particularly in European Union countries, the US, Canada, and ECOWAS countries.

The registration of Morocco’s trademarks comes as part of a large-scale effort to address repeated cultural appropriation attempts by third parties.

Earlier this week, Morocco’s government announced that the country is working on a bill to protect national heritage against any attempt of usurpation and appropriation.

The legislation seeks to modernize the legal framework for heritage protection to align with international standards ratified by Morocco, the minister said.

The goal is to make national heritage a source of wealth and employment creation by establishing funds through public-private partnerships.

Morocco’s cultural heritage has been subject to frequent appropriation attempts, particularly from Algeria– including against Morocco’s caftan and zellige.