OHIM and OMPIC discuss collaboration

There is a news item in the October 2012 Alicante News which mentions a meeting between OHIM and OMPIC which took place in October. The excerpt reads:

"And in the penultimate meeting in OHIM’s busy schedule in Geneva, it was the turn of one of the Office’s newest partners, Morocco, to meet with our delegation in the afternoon. Relations between the Moroccan Office OMPIC and OHIM began only recently, and OMPIC Director General Mr Adil El Maliki welcomed the opportunity for future cooperation with OHIM and, in turn, he was thanked by President Campinos for his initiative to meet with OHIM here at the WIPO General Assemblies. A number of possible collaboration initiatives were discussed, such as training for OMPIC examiners and the possibility of OMPIC attending the upcoming IP seminar for non-EU countries."

This part of the Empty Quarter welcomes OHIM providing support for Trade Mark Offices in developing and least developed countries. OHIM's cash surplus was, a few years ago, significant and while initiatives such as the Cooperation Fund and the Convergence Program are useful, it is in the developing and least developed countries that rights holders based in the EU will really feel the benefit of investment by OHIM.