KARACHI: The four-day Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF) kicked off at the Karachi Film School in Korangi on Thursday by honouring the power of creativity, innovation and original expression.

Organised by Karachi Film Society in collaboration with Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) and the Collective Organisation for Music Rights in Pakistan (COMP), the programme brought together many key voices from the creative industry to uphold intellectual property rights.

Two engaging panel discussions on the occasion were ‘The impact of technology, in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), on the creativity of ownership of intellectual property rights’ and ‘How intellectual property empowers the arts and singers’ community to secure ownership and financial empowerment of their creativity’.

Professor and trainer in data sciences Kashif Laeeq, during the first panel discussion moderated by visual artist Mahwish Husnain, pointed out that AI can be used successfully when you know how to give it the right prompts. “Generative AI may create copyright issues,” he said.

Luminaries at World Intellectual Property Day event stress registration, patent of original works

“It is a kind of plagiarism, which can get you banned. So you can’t rely totally on AI for your content.”

DG Sindh Pemra Tufail Channa, meanwhile, said that since AI is a relatively new concept in Pakistan, Pemra is yet to interpret it.

“When we do, we will come up with the rules and regulations for AI-generated material,” he said.

Global technology strategist Jawad Paracha focused on the importance of patents. “A patent is important as it can generate a lot of revenues for you,” he said.

A video message from the Deputy Director of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Sylvie Forbin, who spoke about the importance of salvaging intellectual property rights, was played before the next panel discussion.

The second panel discussion about ‘How intellectual property empowers the arts and singers’ community to secure ownership and financial empowerment of their creativity’ was moderated by Syed Nasrullah.

Composer singer and actor Arshad Mahmood said that there is no dearth of creative people in our country who are not being paid their due because of a lack of transparency. He said that many times people don’t know the name of the poet of a hit song. “Why can’t the singer when performing a song mention the poet’s name in the beginning or end of a performance?” he asked.

Veteran pop singer Mohammed Ali Shyhaki focussed on how important it is for an artist to know his or her worth. “Whatever you created must earn you something. Wherever it is played, here on television, radio or social media, it must generate revenue for you. And this can only happen if you have been careful enough to get your work copyrighted,” he said.

Director General of Pakistan Television (PTV) Amjad Hussain said that it was sad that no one was very serious about proper registrations and copyrights in the old days of PTV. “Now we have new people uploading old music on social media while crediting themselves for it while the original composers are forgotten,” he said, adding that the new artists must learn from PTV’s past mistakes and properly patent their work.

Award-winning filmmaker Baber Sheikh pointed out that first the artists need to be made aware of their rights.

Producer and music industry consultant Umnia J. Iftikhar said the good thing is that it is very easy to get one’s work patented or copyrighted. “With things becoming automated and easy to use, the new generation don’t have an excuse for not having protected their creativity and earn royalties,” she said. Lawyer Teymour Aslam also spoke.

Earlier, the chief guest of the day, Senior Minister and Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon, and the guest of honour, HUM Network’s president, Sultana Siddiqui declared the Film Festival open.

Sultana Siddiqui also highlighted the role of media in preserving and promoting original creative works.

Former ambassador Farukh Amil, Chairperson of IPO-Pakistan, delivered the keynote address, emphasising the importance of intellectual property protection in fostering creativity and economic growth.

Ameed Riaz, founding member of COMP, also shared his insights underscoring the role of technology and AI.

A video message from Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, reflecting global perspectives on copyright and the creative industries, was also played.

The day culminated in live musical performances by the Napa team and Saif Samejo and his band, showcasing a fusion of culture and intellectual property.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2025