Collapse of intellectual property offices and system in Pakistan—I

TEXT: The Commerce Division of the Ministry of Commerce & Textiles, Government of Pakistan, has been revising fees/charges for the filing of Trade Marks, Patents and Copyrights applications frequently

IPO was established as an autonomous body in 2005 with the aim of strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in the country through a unified and integrated management system.

IPO-Pakistan is losing its core focus of facilitating & safeguarding businesses and becoming a business in its own rights.

Where revenue generation is essential for the institution to operate and keep abreast with the latest global IP practices, profiteering becomes a grave matter of concern.

Over the years, not only international but local Trade Mark, Patent and Copyrights registrations have increased by multifold across the country.

The main function of IPO-Pakistan should continue to be around provision of an efficient and transparent platform whereby investor confidence is further alleviated in order to contribute towards a higher influx of both foreign as well as local investment.

However, the sorry state of affairs; starting from umpteen vacant offices to lack of either procurement & employment of technology and/or outdated processes & procedures, are proving a hindrance to the operational excellence that was once the conceptual foundation stone of IPO-Pakistan’s establishment.

Inadequate allocation of funds and resources has resulted in thousands and thousands of opposition cases are pending from as far back as 1989 the respective registries are grossly understaffed with a lot of qualified employees having been retired over years.

The increasing quantum of work since introduction of service markclasses and awareness among the masses, which means the registries not only require timely replacements of the retired staff but are also in dire need of additional personnel so that they are able to cope efficiently with the ever-growing requirements.

(To be continued tomorrow)

Karimullah Adeni

Attorney at Law

Managing Partner

Ali & Associates

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023