The Implementation of Intellectual Property Laws in Pakistan-Impediments and Suggestions for Solutions

Abstract

The powerful, unprejudiced and effective IP laws implementation attracts innovation and new investment whereas the weak implementation of intellectual property laws promotes piracy and counterfeiting and consequently acts as a major barrier to investment in R&D, employment, trade and overall growth of a country’s economy. This is unfortunately the case with the IP laws implementation in Pakistan. This study points out impediments in the implementation of IP laws in Pakistan. The research concludes by putting forward recommendations and suggestions for the strict implementation of IP laws in Pakistan. The piracy and counterfeiting have played a great role in shaking the bases of Pakistani society. These evils have helped in spoiling the education, health, food, technology and innovation sectors in Pakistan. The IP criminals consider the piracy and counterfeiting profitable as well as easier task and feel immense pleasure in committing these offences. The ethics and moral values have been vanished. The wealth greed has hollowed our moral values. The government and intellectual property right holders have to bear the loss of billions of rupees due to offences of piracy and counterfeiting. Intellectual property and socio-economic growth go side by side and for IPRs preservation, laws are drafted. But just making laws is not sufficient. Just by making laws, the government cannot fulfill its responsibility. The responsibility can be performed in its true spirit only when these laws are properly implemented. The social and economic growth comes only in part of that society that has capacity to implement these laws. The social and economic growth of the developed countries is only because of their making of IP laws implementation mechanism more effective and suitable. In existence of powerful legal as well as institutional framework in Pakistan, the implementation capacity is very poor and hence social-economic growth is at lower level. The impediments that have helped in hindering the IP laws implementation in Pakistan are discussed here. By overwhelming these obstacles, the implementation of intellectual property laws in Pakistan can be made more effective and productive.