ISLAMABAD: Directorate-General Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement Customs Director-General Dr. Arslan Subuctageen said that inter agency relations can break new grounds for Customs IPR enforcement.
He was addressing a seminar on Inter-agency coordination in IPR Enforcement in collaboration with Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) of Pakistan. The DG said that Directorate General of IPR Enforcement was created as an anti-counterfeit agency of Pakistan Customs to enforce IPR laws at import and export stage.
He said that the IPR become operational in 2017 and it has now the centralized contact office at FBR for IPR related issues with national and international organizations and trade & industry. He said that regional directorates at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi are functioning with a mandate to interdict import and export of IPR violating goods through targeted investigations and operations.
Dr. Arslan said that one of IPR’s core functions is to collaborate with other counterpart organizations in strengthening IPR enforcement mechanism. He added that this seminar is also a result of coordination with Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) of Pakistan.
The seminar was attended by representatives from IPR enforcing agencies including police, DRAP, PEMRA and officers from Customs field formations. The speakers spoke on the measures taken to safeguard national interests and the need to enforce a balanced IPR regime, since Pakistan is signatory to the WTO so it is obliged to fulfill its legal obligations. This makes it imperative to understand how different agencies can coordinate in shaping up Pakistan’s IPR regime, the speakers said.
Executive Director Intellectual Property Organization Meesaq Arif also addressed on the occasion while Dr. Wasif Ali Memon Chief Collector of Customs North was the chief guest on the occasion. Kanwal Ali Deputy Director IPR Enforcement convened the seminar while the performance of Directorate General of IPRE was presented by Irfan ur Rehman Khan Director, Directorate General of IPRE (North). The Seminar ended with a note of thanks from the chair.
