Amongst a dozen others, Pakistan has landed on USAs annual watch list as the ultimate offenders of intellectual property rights (IPR). The special report revealed it all where the Office of United States Trade Representative (USTR) put 40 out of its 77 trading partners under two-tiered scrutiny: priority watch list and watch list.
Where Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Canada, Thailand, Vietnam, Israel and a couple of others have been named the worst piracy offenders, US has showed concerns over the intellectual property rights issues in not only developing but also some bigger economies that it trades with frequently. Astounding enough, the lists also include Italy, Greece and some other developed states that nobody could have imagined.
The crux of the survey was based upon the intensifying piracy affecting the US economy, especially due to the massive growth in broadband technology that allows easy download and transfer of copyrighted material.
From the trends mentioned for trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy in the report, the violation of intellectual copy rights in Pakistan is characterised by book and optical disc piracy.
From futile efforts to protect the brand names and copyrights to lax criminal and border enforcement laws that encourage manufacture, export and import and distribution of counterfeit and pirated products, the country experiences it all.
On the flip side, the intellectual property right offence has its own repercussions in Pakistan. Where the blatant IPR violation has had striking affects on 40 million American jobs and up to 60 percent of US exports, it may result in the imposition of economic sanctions in Pakistan, the last thing the country wants at this time.
The report builds upon the idea of "deterrent-level penalties for criminal IPR infringement in Pakistan". It highlights the need for special efforts for the reformation of its copyright laws and practices against unfair commercial use data like in the pharmaceutical industry.
A sigh of relief for Pakistan and some relaxation on Americas part, one striking feature of the report, however, has been the absence of any sanctions or penalties to the countries under high degree scrutiny. It is time for the country to gear up to address the challenge. Hopes are tied to the re-promulgation of the Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (IPO) Ordinance, after a lapse of two years.
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