For sure, when the case, everyone wants to protect their intellectual property and brand wherever they are located. In some parts of the world this process may be really hard.
In a Middle East country in order to protect a brand we have to keep track of local requirements. One specific requirement is the request to associate a pending mark with some earlier registrations. We can fulfill this request by pursuing an undertaking „not to change the ownership of the similar/identical trademarks”, as to avoid public confusion.
At some point, it is logical that similar/identical trademarks, exponents of a brand on the market, to have the same owner. Otherwise, the general public may be misled and consider at a given moment or in a given context that a specific trademark doesn’t represent and associate with what they had in mind. Thus, the perception of that brand can be affected in respect with its image or the revenue generated by the company that owns it.
Specific for the Arab countries, the association clause regards similar/identical trademarks, claiming similar goods/services under the same class, and belonging to the same owner. Such condition is imposed to prevent the owner from assigning one associated trademark without the others, leading that way to public confusion or deception.