{"id":199,"date":"2026-04-21T06:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefashionlawinstitute.org\/insights\/?p=199"},"modified":"2026-09-27T07:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T07:24:11","slug":"fashion-law-and-policy-in-north-africa-2026-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefashionlawinstitute.org\/insights\/fashion-law-and-policy-in-north-africa-2026-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Fashion Law and Policy in North Africa: 2026 Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part of the State of Fashion Law & Policy in Africa 2026 | North Africa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Africa’s fashion sector is among the most economically significant and historically deep on the continent. Morocco and Tunisia are major garment suppliers to the European Union under proximity sourcing models, and Egypt has a substantial cotton and textile manufacturing base. The region is also home to design traditions of extraordinary richness: the Moroccan caftan and djellaba, Egyptian galabiya weaving, Tunisian ch\u00e9chia felt-hat making, and Amazigh textile traditions across the Maghreb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chapter of the Fashion Law Institute, Africa’s annual flagship report examines fashion law in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. It is based on desk research by the FLI Africa team. Full country contributions from North African practitioners, including Algeria and Libya, are planned for the 2027 edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Egypt: Centralised IP, Persistent Counterfeiting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Egypt’s fashion IP is governed by the Law on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights No. 82 of 2002. Since 2023, all IP registration has been centralised under the new Egyptian Authority for Intellectual Property, which replaced separate offices spread across several ministries. Copyright protects fashion designs, textile patterns and embroidery for the author’s lifetime plus 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enforcement remains the challenge. Large informal markets such as Wekalet El Balah and Al-Ataba are significant sources of counterfeit fashion goods. Egypt’s textile heritage, including Pharaonic-inspired embroidery and Nubian fabric patterns, has no specific legal protection. Egyptian cotton is one of the world’s most valuable textile names, but its protection as an origin-based product remains underdeveloped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco: Near-Shore Manufacturing and Unprotected Heritage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Morocco is North Africa’s most developed fashion law jurisdiction. Its industrial property law (Law No. 17-97) <\/a>and copyright law (Law No. 2-00) are administered through OMPIC<\/a>‘s efficient, digitised registration system. Membership of the Madrid and Hague Systems<\/a> gives Moroccan brands affordable routes to international protection. The EU Association Agreement has made Tangier and Casablanca major near-shore manufacturing hubs for European brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two gaps stand out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n