March 26, 2006	Sunday	Safar 25, 1427

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FAISALABAD, March 25: The entrepreneurs will have to register their trade marks to survive in the domestic industry as well as to compete in the fast changing world market. Intellectual Property Rights Organisation Chairman Yaseen Tahir said this while talking to the chamber of commerce and industry members here on Saturday.

He said that his organisation was working to help steer the country’s economy out of piracy allegations.

He said modern infrastructure was being developed and highly-qualified officials were being appointed in the organisation to provide essential services to the industrialists in accordance with the WTO regime.

He said that about one year ago, the local exporters were facing serious problems in all parts of the world, especially in the developed countries, due to reports of piracy in Pakistan. Known world organisations and trade bodies had expressed their displeasure over failure of Pakistani departments concerned to effectively check smuggling of pirated disks and other material.

He said known book publishers had also expressed their disappointment over the open violation of intellectual property rights in Pakistan.

Mr Tahir said the government responded to international concern by setting up the IPRO and directing the FIA and Customs high-ups to implement the policies to help check piracy and enforcement of other relevant laws.

He said special counters had been set up to check smuggling of pirated articles, especially the computer programmes and CDs. Such steps had helped restore the trust of international bodies in the government’s policies and its intentions in this regard, he added.

He said that after the IPRO offices would start working in Karachi and Lahore, its sub-offices would be set up in Peshawar and Quetta, while in the second phase such offices would also be established in Faisalabad and Sialkot.

FCCI President Mian Muhammad Haneef, on the occasion, highlighted the problems being faced by the industrialists with regard to the copy rights issue.

Collector Customs M B Tahir and Collector Sales Tax Shafqat Mehmood also attended the seminar.