Ambassador (R) Farukh Amil, Chairman, Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan), visited the upgraded IPO Regional Office, Peshawar to oversee the Inaugural Session for the Hearings of IP cases.
The Chairman also interacted with the media and briefed them on the role, functions, and responsibilities of IPO-Pakistan.
The Chairman highlighted that IPO-Pakistan was established as an autonomous body in 2005 to ensure integrated and efficient management of intellectual property in the Pakistan on the lines of international standards. Under a unified system, the Trade Marks Registry, Copyright Office, and the Patent & Design Office were brought under the management of IPO-Pakistan.
He outlined the key functions of the Organization, which include:
Administering and coordinating all government systems for the protection and strengthening of intellectual property (IP);
Managing all IP offices in the country;
Creating awareness about intellectual property rights;
Advising the Federal Government on IP policy;
Ensuring effective enforcement of IP rights through designated IPR enforcement agencies, including Police, FIA, and Pakistan Customs.
In addition to the above, the Chairman stated that, in order to facilitate the business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the IPO Regional Office Peshawar has been upgraded and relocated to a more central, convenient location as advocated by the business community. With this development, businesses in KP can now register their intellectual property locally. He informed the media that the first hearing of trademark cases was successfully conducted today at the new regional office.
Speaking about the broader significance of intellectual property and its enforcement, the Chairman emphasized that IP is a vast and critical subject. It not only impacts local markets—including essential goods such as food and medicines—but also has implications for tariffs and trade on a larger scale.
He underlined that effective IPR enforcement plays a decisive role in determining foreign investment. International investors and multinational companies, with their sophisticated understanding of IP abuse, closely monitor how well their brands are protected. Pakistan, he stressed, has no choice but to position itself as a serious investment destination with a strong culture of IP awareness and enforcement. Countries that fall short of global standards in IPR enforcement are often avoided by investors, while IP abuse also harms domestic businesses and discourages entrepreneurs from pursuing innovation.
