Pak-US Intellectual Property experts collaborate to strengthen indigenous varsities

September 13, 2018: The United States (U.S.) Department of Commerce has initiated a two day workshop aimed at bringing lawyers and academic experts on intellectual property licensing, from both the U.S. and Pakistan, to develop strategies for indigenous universities that will protect and commercialize their research through IP protections.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), the Continuing Legal Education Institute of Pakistan (CLEIP), and the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPOP) hosted the opening of a workshop on intellectual property (IP) licensing for universities.

The two-day seminar has been held here on Thursday on the campus of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) at the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (a collaboration between the U.S. Agency for International Development and NUST).

Addressing the opening ceremony, U.S. Embassy Islamabad Counselor for Economic Affairs Michael Sullivan said, "Laying the foundation for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection is one of the best ways for Pakistan to create an environment that cultivates innovation and attracts foreign direct investment, which ultimately increases Pakistan's global competitiveness and creates a stronger economy."

Sullivan was joined in the opening ceremony by the chief guest Chairman, Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPOP) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, who focused his remarks on the impact of intellectual property on innovation and the development of Pakistan's economy.

Chairman, HEC Dr. Tariq Bauri said that IP development in the country would require finances, mobilization, commercialization or entrepreneurship. It would also require to explore way forward for mobilizing IP without jeopardizing existing property rights laws, he added.           

President CLEIP, Dr. Tariq Hassan said IP is not something new as it was an asset never unleashed in Pakistan before. “We need to focus on developing strategies to protect IP and licensing to prevent its abuse. 

Interestingly, at the conclusion of the two-day conference, participants will work through a series of case studies to develop specific licensing strategies and agreements, ensuring a practical application of the broader discussions.

This workshop is part of the Commercial Law Development Programme (CLDP), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that seeks to assist countries with commercial legal reforms through government-to-government technical assistance.

CLDP has been active in Pakistan for over 20 years and has run exchanges and programmes focused on IP, judicial capacity building, energy policy, telecommunications, and technology innovation.

(APP)