IPO launches programme to develop linkages with business organisations

Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) has launched a programme to develop linkages with business organisations in the country including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the objective to provide the required facilities to business community for registration of their IP rights nearest to their respective locations.
IPO-Pakistan Chairman and Member National Assembly Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi stated this while addressing to the participants of 'Awareness seminar' conducted for field officers Regional Business Centres Smeda, women entrepreneurs, representatives of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and faculty members from Academia at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Thursday.
Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi said that protection of national IP assets and their promotion at international level was key objective of IPO Pakistan. He said that in order to facilitate SME sector stakeholders, IPO-Pakistan had taken initiative to establish IP Facilitation Desks at different business cities of Pakistan to extend co-operation towards IP right owners for protections of Intellectual Property Rights at their doorsteps.
The Chairman said that collaborated efforts were required to join hands for the development of the country. IPO-Pakistan Director General Sajjad Ahmad Bhutta addressing the participants said that promotion of IP rights among the SME sector of Pakistan was one of the core objectives of IPO Pakistan's Public Outreach programme. Keeping in view this objective, IPO-Pakistan has signed an agreement with Smeda and both the organisations have initiated joint activities for promotion of IP rights among SMEs.
He said that co-ordination between public and private sectors was essential for economic development of Pakistan. Smeda CEO Yousuf Naseem Khokhar said that SME sector of Pakistan covered more than 90 percent industry and playing vital role for the emerging new enterprises for economic development. He said that IP Facilitation Desks at the Regional Centres of Smeda would provide all sort of information to the applicants of trademarks and other IP rights. He laid emphasis on promotion of mutual co-operation for mobilising all available resources to develop a strategy for protection of IP rights.