LAHORE, June 21: The Intellectual Property Rights are being neglected in the country because of the cumbersome, time-consuming and costly procedures involved in their implementation and lack of awareness among people, according to speakers at a one-day training programme held on Saturday.

The seminar on IPRs was organized by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Smeda at its main auditorium.

Highlighting the significance of this intangible property, LCCI president Yawar Irfan said it was the part and parcel of modern-day living, especially in the fields of arts, culture and medicine. He believed that the law would become all the more important in the days to come, saying technology “cannot grow without the IPRs”.

Mr Irfan also emphasized the need for developing creative skills for survival in a competitive world. He added: “The Global Brand Power will determine the future economic course.”

Course leader Aisha Amjad, a representative of Smeda, said unfortunately people here had little clue as to the value of intellectual property in innovation and commercialization.

Attorney-at-law Hasan Irfan Khan, who offers consultative services to manufacturers, spoke at length on copyrights and their infringement. He said most of the businesses in our country had been thriving on counterfeiting. This should be remedied at all costs, he added.

Mr Khan also shed light on the state of plagiarism (literary theft) in the country. Local markets swarmed with pirated versions of books. Besides, there was not much check on piracy in music and computer software.

He stressed the need for a law to protect this exclusive right. “The government also should take action against those involved in illegal businesses,” he said.

Another IPR consultant, Syed Bilal Ahsan, presented an analysis of trademarks and service marks. He made a point that mere ideas were of little or no use. “These should be supported by industrial applicability and protected.”