On April 18, 2023, the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC), together with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), announced the launch of the Patent Examination Highway (PPH) pilot.

Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). It means that the Patent Office (OFF) where the applicant filed the initial application considers that at least one or more of the claims of the application can be authorized, as long as the relevant subsequent applications meet certain conditions, including that the claims of the initial application and subsequent applications are fully corresponding, and the results of the OFF work can be obtained by the Patent Office (OSF) of the subsequent application. The applicant may, on the basis of the results of the work done OFF, request the OSF to expedite the review of subsequent applications.

This partnership with the USPTO is OMPIC's third PPH partnership. Prior to this, OMPIC has conducted pilot PPH cooperation with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) and the Japanese Patent Office (JPO).

More information about the PPH pilot can be found on OMPOIC's website at http://www.ompic.ma/.