Int’l Trademark Conference on Dec 5 | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Int’l Trademark Conference on Dec 5

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is all set to host the first-ever an International Trademark Conference in the Federal Capital, commencing from December 5, to revolutionize trademark profession in the country. The three-day long regional Conference on “Competency-Based Trademark Examiner” was being organized in collaboration with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPPO), Chairman, Intellectual Property Organization (IPO-Pakistan) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan said in a press conference here at IPO headquarter on Friday. Mujeeb Ahmed Khan said the conference was aimed at increasing awareness regarding trademark examiner competencies considering the size, capacity, examination policy and practices of the office, besides tracking their training needs to match and avail training opportunities and resources more efficiently. The core purpose of holding this conference was to convince other signatory of Madrid protocol convention regarding protection of Intellectual Properties for helping Pakistan in signing that International agreement.

“The Protocol, signed by 140 countries, makes the country possible to protect a mark in a large number of countries by obtaining an international registration that has effect in each of the designated Contracting Parties,” he explained.

He hoped that the country would be the part of this system by June of the next year.

The Chairman said the parliamentarians of the country would be sensitized on the international treaty one day before the conference.

Sharing details about the international event, he apprised the media that the conference would help boost competency of trademark examiners or heads of trademark experts coming from ten countries. “Pakistani trademark examiners will take benefit from the expertise of the examiners belonging to other countries”, he said.

It would also provide a platform to share their experiences with each other, he added.

About the number of participants, the Chairman said that fifteen participants of the conference included WIPO experts, International Consultants and Heads of Trademark offices from Switzerland, France, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

To a question, he said that it was the vision of IPO-Pakistan to put Pakistan on the Intellectual Property map of the world by promoting and protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

He said that in the coming few months IPO-Pakistan would be entering in some major international treaties, which enable the organization to establish close linkage with its stakeholders especially academia and chambers of commerce.

To another question about IPR awareness, Mujeeb said that a comprehensive media strategy had been prepared to ensure maximum awareness among general masses, adding the media would certainly play vital role for the purpose.

For enforcement, he said they had set up 10 supra committees at provincial level comprising of Provincial chief secretaries, Federal Investigation Agency, Custom and other ancillary departments to ensure the protection of rights.

He said there were three IP tribunals functioning in the country and the IPO-Pak had proposed for two other special courts to ease the tendency of the pending cases.

The Chairman said they were mulling to introduce royalty package for artists including actors, musicians, singers and lyricist as providing by other countries.

The Nation

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