The provisions of Articles 960 to 981 of the DOC shall not apply to joint ownership of an application for a certificate or of a certificate. Article 37 The joint owner of an application for a certificate or of a certificate may notify the other joint owners that he relinquishes his share in their favor. Once the relinquishment has been entered in the National Register of Plant Variety Certificates or, in the case of an unpublished application for a certificate, as from its notification to the Competent Office, such joint owner shall be relieved of all obligations towards the other joint owners. The latter shall divide the relinquished share between them in proportion to their rights in the joint property, except where otherwise agreed. Article 38 The provisions of Articles 35 to 37 above shall apply in the absence of any agreement to the contrary. The joint owners may derogate therefrom at any time by means of a joint ownership agreement. CHAPTER VI FILING OF APPLICATIONS FOR PLANT VARIETY CERTIFICATES Article 39 Applications for plant variety certificates shall be filed with the Competent Office in the form and subject to the conditions laid down by regulation. Natural and legal persons not having a place of residence or a registered office in Morocco shall be required to appoint a representative having a place of residence or a registered office in Morocco. Except as otherwise stipulated, the power of attorney of the representative appointed in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall extend to all acts that relate to exercise of the breeders’ right and to receipt of all notifications referred to in this Law, with the exception of withdrawal of the application for a plant variety certificate or renunciation in whole or in part of the rights deriving from such certificate. Article 40 The benefit of the filing date of the application shall be acquired if all elements required by regulation in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 39 above have been furnished on filing and if the fees for services rendered established in accordance with Article 60 of this Law have been paid.