KARACHI, Aug 11: A total of 424 Indian companies manufacturing consumer goods have registered their products in Pakistan with the Trademark Registry of the Intellectual Property Organisation.

Sources at the department revealed on Saturday that there had been substantial increase in registration of trademarks by the Indian firms with the opening of formal trade between the two countries in 2003.

Forty-five Indian products were registered with the Trademark in 2003, 92 in 2006 and about 43 in the first six months of 2007.

The registration of Indian products began in Pakistan in 2001 and 42 companies obtained trademark registry. The highest number of Indian products (46) related to bleaching preparations for laundry use, soaps, perfumery, cosmetics, and hair solutions etc.

As many as 45 Indian products were registered in the class of products falling under pharmaceuticals, veterinary preparations, sanitary preparations for medical purposes, food for babies, material for stopping teeth, dental wax, disinfectants, fungicides and herbicides etc.

Indian manufactures registered 31 products with the trademark department related to paper, cardboard and goods made thereof, bookbinding materials, photography material, stationery, artists materials, paint brushes, typewriters and office requisites, teaching material and plastic material for packaging.

Nineteen products were registered in Pakistan under the class of products belonging to meat, fish, poultry and game, meat extracts, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables, jelly and jams, milk and milk products, edible oil and fats etc.

Trademark Registry director Mohammad Mohsin told Dawn that the department provided full protection to products made in India or elsewhere without any discrimination against imitations sold in the local market.

He cited a case when an attempt was made to sell imitations of products registered in Pakistan by the famous Indian business group Tata. He said the Indian group’s representative in Pakistan lodged a case with the trademark department when a Pakistani manufacturer applied for a trademark for his product named ‘Tartar’. The registrar decided the case in favour of Tata and refused to register the product.

The applicant, Mr Mohsin said, approached the Sindh High Court which upheld the registrar’s verdict.

Application of intellectual property laws in Pakistan after the creation of the Intellectual Property Organisation has boosted investors’ confidence and a great number of foreign products are being registered with the trademark department.

To harmonise the application of IP laws internationally, Pakistan is set to sign the Madrid Convention, which provides that a product registered under trademark in any country will be deemed to have been registered in all the member states.