OAMI is a nice little earner

THE Trademarks Office (OHIM), which arrived in Alicante City in September 1993, is the EU’s largest agency.

Referred to as OAMI in Spain, it regulates the 28 EU member countries’ brands and designs, generating an annual €323 million or, to put another way, €885,000 per day.

Most of the money that OAMI moves remains in the province, some of it in the form of direct and indirect employment for 2,700 employees.

It also makes a contribution of around €184 million to the Valencian Community’s gross domestic product, which is 26 per cent more than five years ago.

“If this were a private company it would be one of the most important in the region,” said OAMI president Antonio Campiños.