A workshop on intellectual property rights (IPR) was arranged by the Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) to apprise women entrepreneurs regarding importance of trade marking in their businesses.
Awareness regarding the IPR was very important for the growth of businesses but unfortunately this issue was not well taken by a lot of business people in Pakistan, said IPR Director Meesaq Arif while speaking to the businesswomen.
He said that registration and protection of the IPR was very important through awareness activities to effectively address issues of piracy and counterfeiting for development of genuine businesses.
“We are doing our level best to improve service delivery for IP rights registration while we have close coordination with IPR enforcement agencies including FIA, Police, Pakistan Customs and PEMRA to effectively address issues of piracy and counterfeiting in the country.”
Meesaq Arif said that the government continued to streamline its governance systems and strengthening the IPR regime which would not only help for development of genuine business at local level and attract foreign direct investment but also open avenues for Pakistani businesses for growth in international markets.
Speaking on the occasion, IWCCI Founder President Samina Fazil said that registration of the IP rights took long time which should be reduced to minimum level for ease of IP right holders.
She said a lot of young people were starting their businesses, so guiding them was responsibility of the IWCCI. “We are hopeful that such workshops will help the entrepreneurs to grow.”
In the changing global scenario, the issues of IPR had gained special importance and that they would fully cooperate with the government to put Pakistan on the IP map of the world as a responsible country, said Fazil.
Naima Ansari, former vice president of FPCCI, mentioned that the IPR violations were inflicting losses to the tune of billions as it had become a threat to legitimate businesses. She said that they were always looking for opportunities like these to educate their members so that their businesses reach new heights.
