Govt to support IPO for promoting IPRs: Fawad

ISLAMABAD, Apr 24 (APP):Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Hussain Chaudhry Wednesday said the government through Intellectual Property Organization (IPO-Pakistan) was trying to motivate students and entrepreneurs to translate their ideas into products and services for promoting the culture of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs),
Addressing a seminar organized by IPO-Pakistan, in connection with World IP Day, 2019, he said that forty-seven universities and research institutes in the country have been linked with world IP community under the Technology Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Programme with active support of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and WIPO.
He said a sizeable number of sports good manufacturing associations and chambers of commerce and industry were being attracted through effective liaison and IP awareness efforts.
Highlighting the theme of the seminar, Fawad Hussain said the theme of this year’s World IP Day “Reach for Gold – IP and Sports” is in fact recognition of growing contribution of sportsmen and sports goods manufacturers in innovation and creativity.
“Advancement in science and technology and their growing commercial uses have created new kind of stakes in the form of IP rights and with growing awareness about these rights, a lot of interest has been generated amongst relevant stakeholders all over the world, including Pakistan”, he opined.
He assured government’s full support to IPO-Pakistan for the protection of IP rights and their enforcement as per the legal instruments available for making Pakistan an IP compliant economy.
The minister congratulated Chairman and Director General, IPO-Pakistan for holding a successful event.
On the occasion, Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce Shandana Gulzar Khan said that empowering sports goods manufacturing industry was equal to empowering a major segment of society which ultimately leads to development and prosperity.
“Creativity and innovation among players and sportsmen can be encouraged by providing sports sector with conducive environment, subsidized credit facilities for use of better and improved technology in production of sports goods and effective institutional support,” she said.
Appreciating the role of IPO-Pakistan, Shandana said that IPO has effectively engaged the institutional stakeholders in creating awareness about the IP rights and has expanded its enforcement coordination mechanism to encourage IP rights holder to register their IPRs. Consequently, a nexus of academia, industry and public sector is evolving.
Earlier, Chairman IPO-Pakistan Mujeeb Ahmed Khan expressed the resolve for a strong IP regime and said that structural reforms are underway and legislative changes in accordance with international best practices have been initiated for putting Pakistan on the world intellectual property map.
He said that in connection with World IP Day celebrations, IPO-Pakistan organized several events this year which includes an awareness walk, slogans challenge for students and a seminar.
Later, Fawad Hussain distributed awards among leading national sports manufacturers and exporters from Sialkot who have effectively contributed in the national economy.