Intellectual property rights: Developing states asked to strengthen IP organisations

Intellectual property rights, innovations’ effect on national economies discussed at the three-day moot.

ISLAMABAD:

Participants of a workshop on intellectual property (IP) rights were of the consensus view that all developing countries have to strengthen their IP organisations, said a press release.

The three-day Comsats-Isesco regional consultative workshop on “National Innovation System (NIS) and IP Rights” concluded here after accentuating the importance of innovation and IP for rapid development in today’s information age and globally competing knowledge-driven economies.

Representatives from international organisations, academic institutes, IP and law firms from Bangladesh, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, South Korea and Sri Lanka participated in the workshop.

The moot consisted of talks and presentations on the topics such as introduction to innovation, types and classification of innovations, impact and effect of innovation on national economy, international IP laws, IP role in promoting a knowledge-based economy and patent filing, prosecution and enforcement.

An insight into the innovation policies of developing countries was also provided in the country presentations from Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Iran.

Various institutions and organisations were represented in the workshop including World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Switzerland, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO), Pakistan, The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), Pakistan, COMSTECH, Pakistan and Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).

The event was jointly organised with the primary objective of raising understanding on NIS and IP rights and policies.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2013.