Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan has directed the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) to develop the National IP Strategy on fast track basis and to work on pending amendments in legislations in cases involving trade-marks, patents, copy rights and industrial design.
The minister made these remarks while chairing a briefing on the activities of IPO Pakistan after the organisation was placed under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce on July 25. The organisation was previously under administrative control of the Cabinet Division. The proposal of placing IPO under the Ministry of Commerce was put forward in the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF 2015-18) which was approved by the prime minister in March this year.
Commenting on the administrative change, the minister said that this will support innovation and creation of marketable and exportable IP products, export promotion, economic development, foreign direct investment and prosperity of genuine businesses in the country.
The meeting was informed that the new web portal of the IPO will be launched in August. The web-portal will enable the organisation to offer online services and improve service delivery by providing e-filing of all types of IP applications, e-payments, online search in IP gazettes and journals, online application status search and online IP infringement complaints. All the historical records of the IPO have been digitised and over six million pages of IP applications are available in digital form.
The minister directed the management of IPO to pay due diligence before acceding to international treaties relating to intellectual property such as Patent Cooperation Treaty, International System for Registration of Patents, Madrid Protocol-International System for Registration of Trademarks and internet treaties like World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
