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newsletter 03-08-2015 per page - IPOB. 28TH APRIL, 2015 WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY CELEBRATIONS...
Transcript of newsletter 03-08-2015 per page - IPOB. 28TH APRIL, 2015 WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY CELEBRATIONS...
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION OF PAKISTAN
IPO-PAKISTAN
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
ISSU
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A two day roundtable was organized by Intellectual
Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) in
cooperation with the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) and with the financial assistance of
the European Union (EU) & United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) under Trade Related
Technical Assistance (TRTA) – II Programme, from April
23 to 24, 2015, in Islamabad, Pakistan to discuss different
viewpoints of all the related stakeholders on different
aspects of a National IP Strategy which will cover the inter-
linkages of IP with all the major fields like innovation,
trade, agriculture, public health, creative industries
including publishing, music etc. for strengthening the IP
regime in the country. The formulation of a National IP
Strategy, which when formulated and implemented will
encourage and facilitate the effective creation,
development, management and protection of IP at national
level.
The key objectives of the subject roundtable were to
Review the overall aims and key elements of IP Strategies,
discuss the possible linkages between a national IP strategy
and key policy areas like trade, innovation, agriculture
policy, creative industries, health etc., exchange views on
methodologies of formulating and implementing IP
strategies and identify measures that may be taken by the
national authorities to develop an IP strategy for the
country.
The roundtable began with the welcome addresses of Mr.
Shahid Rashid, Chairman, IPO-Pakistan, Mr. Bernard
Francois, Head of Cooperation, European Union
Delegation to Pakistan and Mr. Mansur Raza, Deputy
Director (ASPAC), WIPO. The Chairman, IPO-Pakistan
A. ROUNDTABLE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) STRATEGY 23-24th April, 2015.
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welcomed the participants and thanked WIPO and
European Union for extending technical and financial
support to IPO-Pakistan. He talked about the functions and
developments of IPO-Pakistan. He also enlightened the
audience regarding the importance of this roundtable for
formulating an IP strategy for Pakistan. The technical
session of the roundtable was opened by Engr. Aamir
Hasan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan in which he
highlighted the importance of the formulation of an IP
Strategy for Pakistan and encouraged the stakeholders to
participate and share their concerns during discussions,
enabling IPO-Pakistan to draft an effective National IP
Strategy in which all the viewpoints of the stakeholders
will be given due consideration in the best national interest
of the country.
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After a brief introduction on the formulation and
implementation methodologies of IP Strategies by Mr.
Mansur Raza, Deputy Director (ASPAC), WIPO, the rest
of the roundtable was divided into five distinct themes
namely, IP Strategy and Trade, Innovation and IP Strategy,
IP Strategy and Creative Industries (Music, Publishing), IP
Strategy and Public Health & Agriculture Policy and IP.
Dr. Henning Ruse Grosse Khan, Fellow, King's College,
Cambridge University, London, provided his expert advice
in all of the five themes as mentioned above and responded
to various concerns of the stakeholders participating in the
roundtable. All the public and private sector stakeholders
commended the initiative of IPO-Pakistan and WIPO to
organize the roundtable on the development of a National
IP Strategy and strongly recommended its formulation in
the best national interest.
April-June, 2015
Important Events
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IPO-Pakistan is the focal organization in the country for
protection and registration of Intellectual Property Rights
i.e. Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs
etc. One of the functions of IPO-Pakistan is to create
awareness about IPR protection and to respect the IP rights
of others. With this objective and enthusiasm, IPO-
Pakistan joins hands with international community to
celebrate World IP Day i.e. 26th April every year. The
theme of the year 2015 “Get up, Stand up for Music”
highlighted that music being source of inspiration in every
society should be given more importance in terms of IP
rights protection.
There are millions of people who enjoy music every day
and there are hundreds of thousands who work in the global
music industry. The writers and musicians, directors and
producers, the editors, composers and designers, the sound
and light technicians, the creators of special effects and
new technologies, each one is contributing his/her role in
promoting creativity and innovation. Pakistan has a rich
heritage of singers and musicians. Our part of the world is
famous for music lovers, singers and musicians since
centuries. We had great singers and music composers like
Amir Khusoro and Tan Sain in the past and there are
modern singers like Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar today, all of
B. 28TH APRIL, 2015 WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY CELEBRATIONS BY IPO-PAKISTAN
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whom, are part of our rich heritage.
In connection with World IP Day Celebrations, IPO-
Pakistan organized a Seminar at Islamabad Club,
Islamabad on Tuesday, the 28th April, 2015. High level
dignitaries from the Government of Pakistan, diplomats,
representatives of music industry, business community,
lawyer community and academia participated in this
Seminar. The Seminar started at 1.00pm and concluded at
2.30pm. Raja Hasan Abbas, Secretary Cabinet Division;
Mr. Shahid Rashid, Chairman, IPO-Pakistan and Engr.
Aamir Hasan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan addressed
the participants and highlighted importance of the World IP
Day. Mr. Haroon Rashid, Singer and Mr. Umer A. Sheikh,
Representative of Music Industry presented musical
journey of Pakistan since 1947. Mr. Areeb Azhar
entertained the participants with his live performance.
Syed Khurshid Alam Bukhari, Secretary, Statistics
Division and Mr. Mansur Raza, Deputy Director, World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) participated as
guests of honor. At the end, the leading legends in the
music industry of Pakistan were awarded with souvenirs as
recognition of their contribution to the creative industry.
April-June, 2015
1. Seminar on Overview of IPO-Pakistan at the Fast University, Islamabad
FAST University Islamabad invited IPO-Pakistan to depute a Resource Person for conducting a seminar on IPRs and Overview of working and functioning of IPO-Pakistan. Mr. Meesaq Arif, Director, IPO-Pakistan delivered the presentation to the Faculty members and students of Bachelors of Software Engineering. The presentation covered the overview and functioning of IPO-Pakistan. The seminar was held at the FAST University Campus on 28th May, 2015. A fruitful Q&A session was also conducted at the seminar. In the end the organizers presented a shield to the speaker as a token of thanks.
2. Chairman and Director General's Visit to Karachi
Chairman IPO-Pakistan along with Director General IPO-Pakistan and Director (Admin/HR) visited Karachi from 11-12 June, 2015. They visited IP Registries (Patent office, Trademark Office, Copyright Office) where Controller Patents and Registrar TMR briefed them about the administration and functioning of Registries. Moreover, HR issues of employees were brought into discussion. Chairman and Director General also interacted with various Stakeholders like Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI), American Business Council (ABC), Pakistan Intellectual Property Rights Association (PIPRA), Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries FPCCI during the visit to Karachi. Stakeholders shared their concerns and recommendations regarding various IP matters like IP enforcement, IP awareness and advocacy, improvement in IP administration, upgradation of IP offices, and
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coordination among stakeholders. Further, Stakeholders were apprised on various measures initiated by IPO-Pakistan to upgrade the administrative and legislative IP infrastructure in the country.Chairman IPO Pakistan also chaired 3rd National IP Convention on "IP Security and Way Forward" organized by Pakistan Brand Foundation and FPCCI. Function was attended by large number of industrialists, entrepreneurs, investors and other professionals from business community. Chairman IPO-Pakistan appreciated the contribution of business community in economic development and prosperity of country. He emphasized the need for awareness and coordination among stakeholders to make effective use of intellectual property system for entrepreneurs to enhance business competitiveness and market success of their products and services.
3 . Mee t ing o f IPR Enforcement Coordination Committee, Islamabad
Meeting of Central IPR Enforcement Coordination Committee held at IPO-Headquarters, Islamabad on 10th June, 2015 under the Chairmanship of Chairman IPO-Pakistan, Mr. Shahid Rashid. Senior officials from IPO-Pakistan and IPR Enforcement Agencies participated in this meeting including Engr. Aamir Hasan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan; Sardar Arfan Ashraf Khan, Director General (Operations), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA); Mr. Zahoor Akhtar Raja, Director IPR, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR); Dr. Nasir Khan, Additional Director (IPR), FBR; Mr. Muhammad Saeed Anwar, Directorate of IPR, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA); Mr. Muhammad Aslam Baloch, Assistant Director, Directorate of IPR, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA); Ms. Nadia Zubair Shah, Deputy Director (Law), IPO-Pakistan and Mr. Muhammad Ismail, Deputy Director (IPR Enforcement), IPO-Pakistan.Following agenda items were discussed in the meeting;i. Presentation on IP Situation in Pakistan;ii. Schedule of Special Training Sessions for
Enforcement Agencies on IPR Enforcement;iii. Sharing of Quarterly and Annual Data of IPR
Enforcement cases by Enforcement Agencies with IPO-Pakistan;
iv. Current Status of IPR Enforcement Rules by Pakistan Customs and FIA
v. Measures to be taken by IPO-Pakistan and IPR Enforcement Agencies in the light of US Special 301 Report.
C. CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES AT NATIONAL LEVEL BY IPO-PAKISTAN
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Importance of IPR Enforcement for development of genuine businesses, trade and commerce in the country was discussed in the meeting. The Chair said that IPO-Pakistan is re-organizing its systems in the light of IPO Act, 2012 and reconstitution of Coordination Committees at Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore has been recently done to effectively and efficiently address issues of IPR Enforcement. Important decisions were taken to strengthen IPR Enforcement in the country.
4. National Workshop on 'Potential of Value Addition and Health Benefits of Indigenous Herbal Wealth and Functional Foods, Organized by Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, Islamabad
The subject workshop was held on June 17, 2015 in the auditorium of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad. Ms. Shakra Khurshid, Assistant Director (Patents) delivered presentation on “Value of Patents in Herbal Medicines”. She enlightened the importance of patents as value addition in the field of herbal medicines.
5. Meeting of the National Assembly's S t a n d i n g C o m m i t t e e o n C a b i n e t Secretariat.
On 8th May, 2015 a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was held at the Parliament House. The Director General, IPO-Pakistan along with a team of officers attended the meeting. The Committee unanimously recommended and approved the Patents Amendment Bill, 2015 for the Electronic Publication of the Patent Journal. The E-publication will bring IP system at par with other IP offices of the world. It will not only be helpful in creating awareness but will also make publication of Patent Applications easily accessible to the public. The increase in circulation of patent information at mass level will be ensured.
6. Meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat.
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Secretariat was held on 18 June, 2015 at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. The committee discussed the functions and performance of IPO-Pakistan.
IP AWARENESS ACTIVITIES COORDINATED BY LAHORE OFFICE.1. One Day Workshop on “Intellectual Property Rights for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)” at GTCCI, Gujrat and SCCI, Sialkot, 23rd April, 2015
Mr. Zahoor Ahmad, Patent Examiner, IPO- Regional Office, Lahore delivered two presentations on the Intellectual Property (IP) Awareness workshops at Gujrat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GTCCI) and at Sialkot
rdChamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) on 23 April, 2015 in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA).
2. IPR Awareness Seminar at the Abasyn University Peshawar.
Mr. Zahoor Ahmad, Patent Examiner, IPO- Regional Office, Lahore attended one day workshop on “Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)” in collaboration with Abasyn University Peshawar on, 3rd June, 2015.
3. IPR Awareness Seminar at the University of Peshawar.
Mr. Zahoor Ahmad, Patent Examiner, IPO- Regional Office, Lahore conducted one day workshop on “Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs): Drafting and Filing of Patent Application” in collaboration with Pakistan Scientific and Technological Information Centre (PASTIC) and Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) University of Peshawar at Conference Hall, University Of Peshawar, on 4th June, 2015.
April-June, 2015
1. The “Patents Awards Ceremony” at the
Turkish Patent Institute Ankara Turkey
Engr. Aamir Hasan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan was
invited by the President, Turkish Patent Institute to attend
the “Patents Awards Ceremony” as a follow up of the
Cooperation Protocol signed between the Turkish Patent
Institute (TPI) of the Republic of Turkey and the
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Pakistan) on 17 February, 2015, in Islamabad, Pakistan.
During the subject visit, a meeting was held between the
DG, IPO-Pakistan and the President of TPI in the latter's th
office on 8 April, 2015. In the meeting, various areas of
cooperation between the two organizations in light of the
above mentioned Cooperation Protocol were discussed. In
particular, consultative support of TPI was requested with
regard to Pakistan's accession to Madrid Protocol for the
International Registration of Marks (MP) and Patent
Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Dr. Habip Asan, President, TPI
fully supported the idea and requested IPO-Pakistan to
send a separate proposal in this regard for consideration of
TPI.
thOn 9 April, 2015, the D.G, IPO-Pakistan attended “Patent
Award Distribution Ceremony” held in Sheraton Hotel,
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Ankara, Turkey. The Turkish President, Mr. Tayyip
Erdogan, was the Chief Guest and top brass of Turkish
government and private sector attended the ceremony.
Delegates from other countries including Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Moldova,
Serbia and Vice-President, European Patent Office (EPO)
also attended the aforesaid ceremony.th
On 10 April, 2015, D.G IPO-Pakistan had a meeting with
Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey, His Excellency, Mr.
Sohail Mahmood, and briefed him about his meeting with
the President of TPI. He appreciated the initiative from
IPO-Pakistan in seeking cooperation with TPI and
requested that the Embassy may also be kept in the loop
when further correspondence takes place between IPO-
Pakistan and TPI in line with the Cooperation Protocol.
2. Training Workshop on Intellectual
Property Shanghai China
Mr. Aftab Alam, Administrative Officer, Trade Marks
Registry attended a training workshop on Intellectual
Property, from April 21 to 28 in Shanghai, China. The
workshop was organized by the State Intellectual Property
Office of China in collaboration with the Tongji University,
Shanghai. The objectives of the training workshop were to
familiarize the participants with the overall intellectual
property scenario in China, including the IP Strategy of
China and IP management practices of the local
government. Participants from eighteen (18) countries
attended the workshop. Detailed lectures were delivered
by the Officials from State Intellectual Property Office of
China and the learned Professors from the Tongji
University, Shanghai.
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3 . R e g i o n a l W o r k s h o p o n t h e
Opportunities and Challenges in the
Implementation of the Beijing and
Marrakesh Treaties, Singapore.
World Intellectual Property Organization in cooperation
with the Government of Singapore, organized a Regional
Workshop on the “Opportunities and Challenges in the
implementation of the Beijing and Marrakesh Treaties”,
from April 27 to 29, 2015, in Singapore.
The main objective of the Workshop was to raise the
awareness of and to promote the Beijing Treaty on
Audiovisual Performances (BTAP) and the Marrakesh
Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons
Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print
Disabled (MVT). The program covered analysis of the
provisions of these treaties and crucial issues and options
for national implementation. In addition, the event had
objectives of gathering information on the status of the
implementation of these instruments from participating
countries, introducing other WIPO-administered treaties
in the field of copyright and related rights and discussing
other copyright topics such as those on the agenda of the
Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights
(SCCR). Mr. Abdul Qadir Orakzai, Registrar of
Trademarks, Trade Mark Registry, Karachi, and Mr.
Saifullah Khan, Assistant Director, IPO-HQs Islamabad
attended the subject Workshop.
4. USPTO Patent Examination Program
May 12 -15, 2015
The program was held at the Global Intellectual Property
Academy at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria
Virginia, May 12 - 15, 2015. Seven participants namely,
Ch. Asfand Ali, Deputy Director, IPO-Pakistan, Mr.
Ghulam Mujtaba, Assistant Director, IPO-Pakistan, Ms.
Saima Kanwal, Assistant Director, IPO-Pakistan, Mrs.
Shams-un-Nisa Hashmi, Patent Examiner, Patent Office,
Mrs. Zubia Hasan, Patent Examiner, Patent Office, Ms.
Urooj Fatima, Patent Examiner, Patent Office and Mr.
Muhammad Ali Zaidi, Patent Examiner, Patent Office,
attended the subject training. The training was conducted
in the form of lectures interspersed with practical exercises
and self-test reviews to reinforce concepts learned. After
successful completion of the training, the participants were
awarded a Certificate of Attendance issued by the United
States Patent and Trademark Office.
5. Training Course on Global Patent Issues:
Patent Quality
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in
cooperation with the Norwegian Industrial Property Office
April-June, 2015
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(NIPO), organized a training program on Global Patent
issues: Patent quality, held in Oslo, from May 18-29, 2015.
Syed Nasrullah, Controller of Patents, Patent Office and
Ms. Shakra Khurshid, Assistant Director (Patents), IPO-
HQs attended the training program. The objective of this
program was to enhance skills of IP offices or relevant
government bodies, in the field of patents and
administration, and to provide a forum for discussion of
patent quality issues and to enhance the project plan for
possible implementation in situ.
From Pakistan side, a project “Formulation of Patent
examination guidelines for patent examiners” was selected
and discussed with the NIPO's experts. Patent examination
guidelines give instructions on the practice and procedure
to be followed during the processing of patent applications
at a national patent office in accordance with applicable
law, such as the national patent act (patent law) and
regulations (rules). As a result of this project the Patent
examination guidelines will be formulated.
6. Head of Intellectual Property Office
Conference (HIPOC) for Countries in
South Asia and Southeast Asia in Tokyo,
Japan.
Engr. Aamir Hasan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan
attended the first ever Head of Intellectual Property Office
Conference (HIPOC) for countries in South Asia and
Southeast Asia-Phase-I, held in Tokyo, Japan from June
29-July 1, 2015. The Conference was attended by Heads of
IP Offices of SAARC and ASEAN Countries. The Director
Generals of Spain, Denmark and Mexico also participated
as moderators. In addition, two IP experts, Mr. John Dodds,
Patent Attorney from Washington,U.S.A and Mr. Giulio
Zanetti, International Consultant from Rome, Italy also
attended the Conference as guest speakers.
The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Hitoshi Ito,
Commissioner, Japan Patent Office (JPO). It was followed
by discussions on the first theme “conversation on the
global manifestations of IP in contemporary society”. The
theme was divided into five topics, each presented by a
guest speaker / expert, followed by a roundtable
discussion. The initial discussion was general, focused on
using IP as a tool for innovation, and role and mission of the
National IP office, followed by specific discussion on
challenges of operating the National Trademark Registry,
the National Patents Registry and the National Design
Registry. The Conference was a unique opportunity for
Heads / Senior representatives of IP offices of ASEAN and
SAARC Countries to become aware of international best
practices in the field of IP and also to share experiences
with each other.
April-June, 2015
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Copyright Office, Karachi
The Patent and Design Office, Karachi
Trade Mark Registry, Karachi
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by Mr. SAIFULLAH KHAN, Assistant Director, IPO-Pakistan
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Innovation and creativity are significant for economic
growth and development which is the foremost objective
of each and every government as it alleviates poverty and
enhances life standard of people through growth of
industry and creation of jobs. Being a hub of knowledge
creation and dissemination, universities have always
played a significant role through their innovations in
economic growth and development of various countries.
The first priority of universities is to produce skilled
human resource having better knowledge, observations
and imaginations to play their role in creation of
Intellectual Property (IP). Universities are funded by the
governments, therefore, have better research facilities and
experienced staff for undertaking research projects and
creative activities which often results in creation of IP,
however, many researchers and innovators do not know,
how to protect and exploit the results of their projects i.e.
invention or creation. The role of universities is undeniable
in the technological advancement of industries, therefore,
many countries have implemented special legislations to
facilitate commercialization of IP created within the
universities.
For establishing a close liaison with industry, almost all
universities in US, EU and other developed countries have
established IP Commercialization or Technology Transfer
Offices (TTOs). These offices through licensing,
assignments or establishment of entrepreneurs and spin-
outs pass on the benefit of research outputs to people and
economy through industry. These TTOs are specialized in
IP Management and not only commercialize the
universities' IP but also protect it under the relevant patent,
trademark, industrial designs and copyright laws. The flow
of universities' research output to industry was accelerated
by the introduction of Bayh-Dole Act introduced by USA
in 1980. This Act was aimed to remove all hindrances from
commercializing IP developed within universities using
government grants and funding. This Act facilitated and
accelerated transfer of technology from Universities to
Industry which resulted in boosting industrial and
economic growth in USA. Similarly, researchers in Japan
also pointed out factors precluding industrial growth in the
country and suggested to improve university-industry
linkages and collaboration for revival of Japan's economy.
In order to promote and utilize the under-exploited
technologies produced within universities, Japan
introduced a Bayh-Dole Act like legislation known as Law
on Technology License Organizations (TLOs) in 1998.
Many other countries like Singapore, Germany, Finland,
Brazil, China, South Africa etc also followed the footsteps
of USA and strengthened their systems for transfer and
commercialization of technologies developed within the
universities and research institutes to industry and
ultimately to public via technology licensing offices,
entrepreneurs and spin-outs. It would not be out of place
that fast technological development in last two decades is
the result of close coordination between universities and
industry through technology transfer offices.
Technology Transfer Offices within universities act as a
focal point between universities and industry. Almost all
the developed and many developing countries have
mandated their universities to protect and commercialize
their IP resulted from the government funded projects. The
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main function of TTOs is to establish a link between the
university and industry which is very important for both as
it helps to bring the real industrial problems into the
universities' laboratories for finding out their solutions.
The faculty, staff and students work out on industries'
problems and find solutions to the problems through
research work which often results in creation of IP. The
industry in reply provides fund for the research activities
and other administrative functions. TTOs also play a role
of IP manager which analyze the research output and
protect it under the relevant IP laws. The protected IP is
negotiated by TTOs for commercialization through
licensing, assignments, spin-out services etc. TTOs also
take measures to protect the IP from infringement,
counterfeiting and other illegal and unauthorized use.
Through all these activities, TTOs not only generate
employments, promote industrial development and
economic growth in the country but also generate revenue
to meet their educational and research expenses. The
Global Competitiveness Report 2013-14 reveals that
excellent educational system, close relationship among
universities, research institutes and enterprises have made
Switzerland a top innovator country. The report further
indicates that there is strong coordination between
academic and business sectors ensuring the translation of
research work into marketable products. Many developing
countries like China, Brazil etc has also strengthen their
university industry linkages which is resulting in a rapid
industrial and economic growth of these countries.
It would be inconvenient for the Industry to allocate more
budgets for R&D as investing in R&D is always a risky job.
An innovation may take several years and consume heavy
budget but despite that it may not be fruitful. Therefore, it
is better for the industrialists to outsource research for
development of its industry. Universities are the best
option for outsourcing research as universities have skilled
human resource and required facilities. Universities are
always up to date with all research activities and its
findings, therefore, most of the time conducts research
which results in a useful patentable product. Outsourcing
universities for research is also a better option for industry
as it saves a huge investment required for R&D activities.
Many developed countries, instead of building their own
R&D infrastructure, are now funding universities' research
projects under certain agreements or gets the useful
invention resulted from their research work under
university's IP and commercialization Policy.
It is obvious from the above that close liaison between
universities and industry led to rapid development in
developed and some developing countries in the last one or
two decades. It is therefore suggested that Pakistan despite
looking towards developed nation for technical assistance
and technology transfer under TRIPS Agreement, should
invest in education and improve university-industry
linkages. Only this way, Pakistan would be able to come at
par with the developed world. But unfortunately, in
Pakistan there is a rare connection and coordination
between the industry and academia. Due to this lack of
coordination and cooperation between the industry and
academia, the academia remains unaware of the real
problems arises in the industry and as a result, research
work in universities does not yield productive being
directionless. Besides, academia in Pakistan does not have
proper technology transfer offices (TTOs), therefore, most
of the research output could not be evaluated as valuable IP
asse t and therefore fa i l s to be managed and
commercialized. Although many Universities under the
directions of HEC have established Offices of Research
Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), but they are
inactive due to lack of dedicated qualified staff. Similarly,
the universities does not have IP Policies for
commercialization of academia's IP which results in
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creating confusion about the ownership and distribution of
compensation among the university and innovation's
contributions.
Lack of awareness regarding the importance of IP assets in
Pakistan is also a hurdle in commercialization of valuable
IP to industry and majority of the professors in Pakistan
emphasis on publication of their research paper which
often diminish patentability of the research output. Weak
enforcement of IPRs is also an impediment in
commercialization of universities' innovations as the
chances of economic returns from commercialization of
innovat ion is reduced from infr ingement and
counterfeiting.
Close liaison between academia and industry is necessary
for bringing industry's problems in academia's labs for
investigation, research and finding solutions. This close
coordination between academia and industry results in
rapid industrial development and economic growth,
directly or indirectly improving life standard of the
inhabitants of the country. However, the goal of
development cannot be achieved until the developing
countries improve their own infrastructure i.e. educational
system, liaison with local industry and proper legislation
for stimulating innovation and its transfer to local industry.
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