Chairman Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO-Pakistan) and Member National Assembly Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has said that priority is being given to streamline the functioning and registration process of trademarks, patents, copyright, industrial designs, integrated circuits, lay out designs and geographical indications in the Registries of IPO-Pakistan while capacity building efforts were also in progress to update the knowledge of concerned officials with the objective to improve the overall performance of the organisation.
He stated this while talking to a group of media persons, here on Monday. Afridi said that economic development is directly linked with the protection of IP rights and failure to protect these rights hampers innovation, creativity, economic growth and local & foreign investment. IPO-Pakistan is facing the challenges to achieve its mandate and joint efforts are required to introduce the services of this important global organisation to all concerned so that they could get their IPs registered, he added.
The chairman said that they were committed to establishing an IP respected society and to attain this objective they were striving hard to develop linkages with all the stakeholders and innovators. He said that legislation is also in progress to implement the IP laws forcefully.
Afridi mentioned that Pakistan has tremendous human resource and due to its geographical location it could be made a hub of economic activities. He said that they were trying to restore the confidence of investors by providing them a favourable environment of business promotion and after strengthening the laws against counterfeiting and piracy they would be enable to protect the IP rights more efficiently.
Responding to a question, the chairman IPO informed that World Intellectual Protection Organisation (WIPO) is extending co-operation to enhance the facilities in IPO offices and a number of training programmes had been conducted in which besides the IPO officials the representatives of other organisations also provided opportunities of training.-PR