By Khalid Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sought technical assistance from the US for the implementation of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) regime, a senior official told Daily Times on Monday.
The official privy to the meeting between Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan and US Undersecretary for Industry and Security Kenneth I Juster said the US raised the issue of the slow pace of implementation of the IPRs due to which US companies were losing money.
He said the commerce minister told Mr Juster about the steps the Pakistani government had taken to enforce the IPRs across the country. “Humayun Akhtar also said the Pakistan Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (PIPRO) has been formed and will operate under the Cabinet Division,” he added.
The US had earlier told Pakistan that eight facilities in the country had produced about 180 million CDs - nearly all illegal - in 2003 and most had been exported to at least 46 foreign countries. US companies and other developed countries suffered $68.5 million of losses in 1999, which increased to $126 million in 2003.
The commerce minister also assured Mr Juster that the parliament would pass the PIPRO bill in June which was to be included in the finance bill in the budget for 2004-05, the official added. He told Mr Juster about the government raids that had seized thousands of CDs and DVDs and said the government would be in a better position after the PIPRO legislation to raid and arrest people involved in manufacturing illegal CDs, he said.
However, a press release issued after the meeting stated that the two parties discussed various issues regarding cooperating in industry and commerce.
The commerce minister emphasised on increasing US-Pakistan trade and economic relations, he said, adding that he also told Mr Juster about the Pakistani government’s economic reforms in recent years. He said the government was committed to continuing the economy’s liberalisation, the official added.
Humayun Akhtar also talked about the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that existed between the two countries and a new date for the TIFA council meeting would be sought soon at a mutually convenient time, he said.
Mr Juster said a US Exim Bank delegation was likely to visit Pakistan in the second week of June this year to explore trade and investment opportunities in the country, the official said. He recognised TIFA’s importance in boosting trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, saying the US was waiting for the TIFA council meeting for further negotiations on bilateral cooperation, he added. Mr Juster also said the US would keep assisting Pakistan in various fields including trade and industry, he said.
Source: Daily Times of Pakistan
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