IPO-Pakistan chairman laments lack of attention to IP
16 November 2023
Intellectual Property Office of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) chairman Farukh Amil lamented the lack of attention given to intellectual property in the country at a recent seminar organized by the IP office in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
During the training seminar on Technology Search and the Development of Technology and Innovation Support Centres, Amil emphasized the need for IPO-Pakistan to push for research and product development and strengthen the country’s innovation capability. He also mentioned that in Pakistan, the academia, industry and research institutions often work on their own instead of cooperating with each other. Amil said it’s important to work together to speed up Pakistan’s technological advancement.
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Sana Shaikh Fikree, Senior Associate, Vellani & Vellani, Karachi
Sana Shaikh Fikree, senior associate at Vellani & Vellani in Karachi, echoed Amil’s statements and seconded his thoughts with regard to “having a holistic alignment mechanism among the relevant stakeholders, such as academia, industry and government.”
“It is necessary to educate our future inventors, entrepreneurs, writers, etc., on what IP is and what value it holds for them and the country. To achieve this, introducing IP in national curriculums applicable to schools (at an appropriate level), colleges and universities would be essential. Holding lectures, seminars and workshops to educate the target audience – which could be students, inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. – about IP and empower them with the required knowledge and toolset to protect, manage and enforce their IP rights would also be helpful,” she elaborated.
Fikree added that social media platforms could be effectively used in IP awareness campaigns to reach more people. “To extend the reach of such campaigns, relevant information should be made available in the local and regional languages of Pakistan,” she stressed.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
