ISLAMABAD: With a delay of more than 16 years, the Ministry of Commerce on Monday said a draft law protecting ownership rights of goods that have a specific geographical origin will be introduced in the National Assembly in the next couple of weeks.

“The law is being finalised in consultation with all stakeholders,” Commerce Secretary Azmat Ranjha told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce.

The committee, headed by Siraj Muhammad Khan, asked the ministry to complete the process at the earliest to protect indigenous products.

The ministry has been working on the Geographical Indication (GI) law since 2000. The draft has been vetted many times by authorities concerned. But no action has been taken so far in this regard.

In the absence of the GI law, Pakistan may lose ownership rights of the hybrid variety of super basmati rice. The proposed law will also provide protection to other products, like apricot, Peshawari chappal, Multani halva, Hala’s ajrak, Sargodha’s kinno, Kasuri methi, Sindhri mango, Dir’s knives, Swat’s wild mushrooms, Neeli Ravi buffalo, Chaman’s grapes etc.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) members need to give protection to GIs under Article 22-24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement. Unless Pakistan provides GI protection, it cannot obtain the same for its own goods in other countries that have the GI law.

The separate law will make Pakistan capable of filing such applications in other countries to protect its various GIs.

The standing committee was informed that the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) received 44,344 applications for the registration of patents, trademarks, copy rights and industrial designs in 2015-16. The IPO registered as many as 15,686 patents, trademarks, copy rights and industrial designs under the four categories.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2017