WIPO chief says intellectual property will support all aspects of life in Morocco

GENEVA - Intellectual Property (IP) will support all aspects of life in Morocco including zellij (traditional tiles) both in cities and in rural areas, said Daren Tang, the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) told MAP.

“The project that we did in 2016 in Morocco on your famous towns, but also now many other projects that we are doing will have a very complete and holistic approach of intellectual property,” said Tang.

“We are making sure IP supports all different aspects of life in Morocco. Today we can be closer to communities on the ground, not only in cities but also those in rural areas,” he added at the end of a meeting with the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid.

Tang said that he came from a part of the world that understands heritage where many cultures are proud of their heritage and contributions over the centuries.

“Morocco is also a country with a long history, a proud history,” he said, adding that intellectual property is often seen only as relevant in the industrial context… but can also be relevant in a heritage aspect.

The discussions between Tang and Bensaid focused on Morocco’s “incredible” heritage as well as the new “Moroccan Label” and how WIPO can support it with its expertise in supporting countries’ heritage and legacies and combining it with branding, marketing and packaging.

“Morocco and WIPO are also working on a project with the historic city of Essaouira on ways to make its traditional products known to the whole world” said Tang, insisting that intellectual property is not only a question of legacy, but also a question of the future.

“I therefore had the pleasure of speaking with the minister about the future agenda between WIPO and Morocco, and in particular the possibility of supporting new legislation with Morocco which pushes the limits in terms of copyright and related rights,” he said.

Among the topics that were also discussed are Artificial Intelligence and how it can be a catalyst for supporting Moroccan industry and Moroccan startups, and ensuring that intellectual property is a means of creating jobs for young Moroccans and to support Moroccan businesses, said the head of WIPO.

Bensaid’s meeting with Tang was also an opportunity to highlight Morocco’s ongoing efforts to further protect its intangible heritage and its age-old know-how, which is very important in the eyes of Moroccans in order to make them last

The Moroccan minister said that this know-how also has an economic importance by supporting thousands of maallems (craftsmen) across the North African Kingdom, hence the importance of protecting and promoting them both nationally and internationally.

Bensaid noted that the marketing of its know-how through the work provided by several ministerial departments interests several countries, and warned against the desire to appropriate Moroccan heritage by several companies, or even certain states.

“This protection today is more than necessary hence the work provided for more than two years by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Ministries of Handicrafts and Agriculture in particular to submit maximum elements and the creation of the Moroccan Label intended for the protection of Moroccan heritage beyond borders,” said Bensaid.

“If UNESCO recognizes intangible heritage at the international level, WIPO constitutes an opportunity for Morocco to legally protect the elements of its intangible heritage from attacks, both private and those coming from other states,” he added.

“The director of WIPO and UNESCO are aware that it is necessary today, especially since it is also part of the Moroccan strategy of promoting cultural and creative industries,” concluded Bensaid.

Bensaid’s statement comes in the wake of Algeria’s cultural appropriation attempts against Morocco’s heritage, particularly zellij, an intricate tilework with mosaic design using hand-cut tiles.

Algeria’s news outlet Echorouk Online reported on Saturday that Algiers was preparing a “special file” about “Algerian zellij” and will submit it to UNESCO this month to include it in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In 2022, Oran governor Said Sayoud said during a cultural exhibition that “zellij is our heritage” that they will not give up and that “nobody has the right to dispute it.”

Sayoud insisted that it was Algeria’s right to put zellij prints on its national football team jerseys.

Sayoud’s statement came after Adidas made jerseys for the Algerian national football teams whose design featured Moroccan zellij, prompting outrage among Moroccans.

Few days later, Morocco’s Ministry of Culture announced the official patenting of zellij of Fez by WIPO.