“Record increase in trademark registration is indicative of enhanced business activity in the country”.
“Government is also providing grants through HEC to promote academia-private sector research collaborations”.
We must all encourage innovation in every possible way”.
Engr. Muhammmad Baligh Ur Rehman
Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) on Wednesday held a seminar to commemorate World Intellectual Property Day. Engr. Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training as chief guest graced the occasion. The theme of this year IP Day is “Innovation – Improving Lives” given by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Addressing the seminar, the minister said that over the past years incredible growth had been seen in technology on a global scale. Investments in Research and Development (R&D) are central point of economic growth in this era, he added.
Highlighting the theme of the seminar “Innovation – Improving Lives”, Mr. Baligh Ur Rehman said that as nations in the developing world become ever more globalized, innovation linkages are quickly gaining prominence, leading to collaboration among nations involving academia and industry as a key driver of economic growth.
He said that patents are used as a measure of output of innovation and are the most preferred intellectual property in relation to technological innovations. “We must all encourage innovation in every possible way”, he added.
Mr. Rehman maintained that there was a correlation between innovation, patent filing and development in society and added that record increase in trademark registration is indicative of enhanced business activity in the country.
Emphasizing the need of Research & Development he said the Government of Pakistan has substantially increased the budget for R & D sector with focus on innovation driven research. Internationally, private sector is taking lead in spending on research in national economy which should be followed by the private sector in our country as well. “Government is also providing grants through HEC to promote academia-private sector research collaborations”, he added.
Appreciating the efforts of IPO-Pakistan for creating awareness about IPRs in the country Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training said, “I would like to appreciate Ministry of Commerce and IPO-Pakistan for efforts in creating awareness about intellectual property rights”.
Earlier, welcoming the chief guest and the participants of the seminar, Mr. Shahid Rashid, Chairman IPO-Pakistan, highlighted the role of IPO-Pakistan. He said that the vision of IPO was to put Pakistan on the Intellectual Property map of the world as a compliant and responsible country by promoting and protecting Intellectual Property Rights.
“Mission of IPO is integrating and upgrading IP infrastructure for improved service delivery, increased public awareness and enhanced enforcement coordination for achieving the goal of being an IP based nation”, he remarked.
The Chairman said that due to the efficient policies of IPO-Pakistan, the number of application has soared from 32,443 in 2014-15 to 44,364 in 2015-16 in trademarks, patents, copyrights and industrial designs.
Mr. Shahid Rashid underlined the need to create more awareness among masses regarding the protection of their rights in order to stand proudly among the nations who respect others intellectual rights.
The seminar was also addressed by John K. Dickerson, the Senior Advisor of the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Shoukat Hameed Khan, Coordinator General, COMSTECH, OIC also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the importance of innovation and R&D.
In his vote of thanks, Mr. Muhammad Irfan Tarar, Director General, IPO-Pakistan, thanked the chief guest and audience for their participation in the seminar and making it successful.
He said that as IPO-Pakistan is comparatively a young organization that is why it has been facing numerous challenges but expressed the confidence that with the cooperation and support by the stakeholders it would succeed in developing IPR culture in the `ountry.
Mr. Tarar apprised the audience that IPO-Pakistan would also hold similar kind of seminars in Lahore and Karachi as well.
On the sidelines of seminar, the leading universities from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established their stalls in an exhibition to draw the attention of the audience to innovation and creativity. Later, certificates and shields were distributed among the exhibitors and students from different universities who showcased their inventions and creations on the sidelines of the seminar.
It is pertinent to mention here that IPO-Pakistan conducted the seminar with the support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Pakistan Regional Economic Integration Activity. World Intellectual Property Day is commemorated annually on April 26 to acknowledge the role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights and their significance in promoting innovation and creative designs.
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