“Do not forego your own IP rights;
But do not violate IP rights of others”

Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) of PAKISTAN

Respected Reader! Here I will give you website addresses and some details how to register/patent? your IDEA, Trade Mark, Invention or know the procedure of Copy Right. So if you have any Idea or invention don’t forget to Patent/Register it, it will give you, your family (afterwards also) and Nation too, many benefits in the short&long Term.

IPO Pakistan - Headquarter
Director General

House No. 23, Street 87, Ataturk Avenue (West), Sector G-6/3, Islamabad - Pakistan.
Tel: +92-51-9208146
Fax: +92-51-9208157
Email: info@ipo.gov.pk

Patent Office
Mrs. Yasmeen Abbasi
Controller of Patents&Registrar of Designs

2nd Floor Kandawala Building, M. A. Jinnah Road, Karachi.
Tel: +92-21-9215488
Fax: +92-21-9215489
Email: patent@ipo.gov.pk

Trademarks Registry
Registrar Trade Marks Registry

Plot No. CD-3, Behind KDA Civic Centre, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block- 14, Karachi.
Tel: +92-21-9230538
Fax:
Email: tmr@ipo.gov.pk

Copyright Office
Mr. Shakil Ahmad Abbasi
Registrar Central Copyright Office

Ground Floor, Liaqat Memorial Library Building, National Stadium Road, Karachi.
Tel: +92-21-9230140
Fax: +92-21-9230140
Email: copyright@ipo.gov.pk

Regional Office: Lahore
Mr. Imtiaz Ali
Deputy Registrar

3rd Floor, Farid Tower, 19 Temple Road, Lahore, Pakistan.
Tel: +92-42-7224395
Fax: +92-42-7224396
Email: lahore@ipo.gov.pk

Other related National Organizations:

SMEDA
SMEDA - Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority
http://www.smeda.org

PEMRA
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
http://www.pemra.gov.pk

FIA
Federal Investigation Agency
http://www.fia.gov.pk

CBR
Central Board of Revenue
http://www.cbr.gov.pk

Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
http://www.pakistan.gov.pk

International Organizations related Organization to Register/Patent your IDEA or Invention or Product, addresses as follows:

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
http://www.wipo.int
World Intellectual Property Organization

WTO World Trade Organization
http://www.wto.org
World Trade Organization

Introduction to IPO Pakistan

Mainstreaming IP
Intellectual Property (IP) is critical for competitive economy in the back drop of ongoing globalization. Sustainable economic growth now depends largely on Hi-tech R&D base and efficient knowledge input. The new concept of IP based nation is gaining ground because it is Intellectual Property which enables technology creation and technology transfer by providing the necessary enabling environment. For these considerations Intellectual Property was mainstreamed in Pakistan in 2005. IP was brought under the limelight of public policy by simultaneously establishing IPO-Pakistan, empowering the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and activating Pakistan Customs against IPR violations. The Government decision to establish IPO-Pakistan was particularly aimed at addressing the institutional shortcomings that were impeding the effective management of intellectual property in Pakistan. The other two parallel decisions were aimed at strengthening IPR enforcement in the country. It is by definition an exponential change.

IP Situation before 2005
Before 2005, IP situation in Pakistan was being internationally perceived to be constantly deteriorating. Pakistan was being blamed for export of pirated optical discs to a number of countries of the world. The deepening deteriorating of IP situation was also considered within the country to be highly detrimental to the following:-
Rapid growth mode of Pakistan economy;
Enabling environment for investment attraction;
Market access requirement of Pakistan’s export-led growth strategy;
Fast track integration with global economy;
Market expansion for genuine businesses in Pakistan;
Consumer interest in terms of competitive quality and price;
Country’s business image as a whole.

Out-of-the box Solution
In order to redress the situation, Government of Pakistan found an out-of-the box solution for its IP problems and took the following three parallel decisions on the 8th April, 2005; namely:-
Establishment of IPO-Pakistan as a focal organisation for integrated management of intellectual property and enforcement coordination;
Empowerment of FIA (FIA stands for Federal Investigation Agency which is Pakistan’s elite force for control of white collar crime) to eliminate piracy by including the Copyrights Ordinance 1962 (as amended in 2000) in the FIA Act, 1974;
Activation of Pakistan Customs to effectively interdict import and export of pirated optical discs etc.

Support Measures
The Government of Pakistan supported the aforesaid three parallel decisions with the following additional measures, namely:-

The Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan placed the new organisation directly under his own supervision by attaching it with the Cabinet Division rather than any of the old Ministries, namely Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Education which were previously supervising the patents Office, Trade Marks Registry and the Copyrights Office respectively;

Private sector was effectively involved in the governance structure of IPO-Pakistan by public-private partnership in the IPO Policy Board. Chairmanship of IPO Policy Board was assigned to the Private Sector;
Shortly after the inception of IPO-Pakistan, the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan met twice with the Chairman and the Director General of the new Organisation to set up an IP vision for the new Organisation and to exhibit, at the highest level, the immense political will which had actually gone into the making of IPO-Pakistan;

The new Organisation was conceived to be fully autonomous with an independent IP Fund comprising the following, namely:-
Fee Collection by IP Registries;
Government Grants; and
Foreign Grants and Donations.

The status of the Director General IPO-Pakistan was upgraded to the rank of Federal Secretary which is the highest level in Pakistan’s civil administration;
Sufficient funds were provided (Rs.113.00 million in 2005 against Rs.22.00 million in 2004) to meet the initial setting-up requirements of the new Organisation; and
A small start-up team of IP literate and experienced officers was put in place to kick-start the new Organisation.

Governance Structure
The IPO-Policy Board effectively symbolizes the spirit of Public-Private Partnership which, in fact, is the new paradigm of participative governance in Pakistan. It also combines the finest expertise of public administration and corporate management in the best national interest. The Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission and six Federal Secretaries of the stake-holding Ministries represent the Public Sector and eleven Members including the Chairman represent the Private Sector including top executives of the national and multinational companies in Pakistan. Chairman Policy Board is a distinguished and widely experienced professional from the Private Sector. The Director General is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IPO-Pakistan and Secretary to the IPO Policy Board. He is also a Federal Secretary (BS-22) which is the highest position in the civil service. Thus the Government of Pakistan has invested its finest human capital in the governance structure of IPO-Pakistan.

IPO-Initiatives
The new organisation has undertaken a number of organisational, administrative and functional initiatives to upgrade the institutional infrastructure; design a flat and lean service structure; provide attractive salary package and afford necessary capacity building opportunities in order to reform, restructure and reorganize the intellectual property management in Pakistan. IPO-Pakistan’s Enforcement Coordination Initiative has not only achieved effective linkages with the public sector enforcement authorities but also with the private sector investigation agencies engaged in detection of IP infringements. This coordination is deepening and expanding very fast. Once this initiative finds synergy, the market space for piracy and counterfeiting will start shrinking. The growth of these twin menaces has already been effectively arrested.

Vision
IPO-Pakistan has set for itself the following vision namely:-
“To put Pakistan on the IP map of the world as a compliant and responsible country by promoting and protecting intellectual property rights.”

Mission
The Mission Statement of IPO-Pakistan is as follows:-
“Integrating and upgrading IP infrastructure for improved service delivery; increased public awareness and enhanced enforcement coordination for achieving the goal of being an IP based nation.”

Core Objectives
IPO-Pakistan has set the following functions as its core objectives namely:
Integrating IP management;
Improving service delivery;
Increasing public awareness; and
Enhancing enforcement coordination

Initial Priorities
Being a new organisation, the initial priorities of IPO-Pakistan are as follows:-
Consolidation of its inheritance from the past;
Putting in core capacities in the new organisation; and
Achieving higher order professionalization;

Public Awareness
IP awareness in Pakistan is very low. In order to improve public awareness, IPO has launched a Public Outreach Program for linkaging and leveraging internal and external constituencies i.e. Chambers of Commerce and Industry, business enterprises, R&D institutions, universities, academia and general public. World Trade Review, a fortnightly newspaper focused on WTO news is also regularly publishing IP news. Both Electronic Media and Print Media are being increasingly used for enhancing general public awareness in IP. Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO is providing financial support in organizing IP awareness Seminars in the country.

Enforcement Coordination
Enforcement coordination is being institutionalized and expanded by establishing Enforcement Committees in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Its membership comprises the following stakeholders:

Agency Designation
IPO Director General, IPO HQ, Islamabad
CBR Chief (Customs), CBR, Islamabad
PEMRA General Manager (Enforcement), Islamaabd
FIA Additional Director General Islamabad
Police Additional SP, Islamabad
Customs Intelligence Additional Director, Islamabad
Law Division Deputy Draftsman, Law Division, Islamabad
Private Investigation Agencies and Citizen-Police Liaison Committees already existing in the major urban areas will also be brought into the enforcement loop.

Conclusion
IP is not an end in itself. It is a means towards an end. The end is sustaining and strengthening the ongoing high growth mode of the national economy and to ultimately achieve the goal of being an IP efficient society and an IP based nation. Therefore, strong IP regime is a paramount national imperative for achieving the objective of competitive economy based on:-
Technology Creation;
Technology Transfer; and
Creativity Promotion.

IP Creation and Protection Cycle

“Do not forego your own IP rights;
But do not violate IP rights of others”

Shahzad Shameem
shahzad.shameem@gmail.com
a True PAKISTANI
0092-321-9837752