An Interview With Shazia Adnan

February 2022

By Catherine Saez, WIPO

WIPO: Can you introduce yourself, your personal and professional background, and when you were appointed as the Director-General of IPO-Pakistan?

My name is Shazia Adnan. I am working as Director-General, Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan. I assumed the charge of this post on 17 September 2021. I am a professional in the fields of trade promotion, Trade Policy formulation, WTO affairs, and Intellectual Property Rights management. I joined the civil services of Pakistan in 1997 and have served the country in various positions. Before joining IPO-Pakistan, I was working at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) as Director General (Finance). I have also served in several Federal and Provincial organizations including the Export Promotion Bureau, Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, Executive Development Institute (NSPP), Directorate General Trade Organizations. I have also represented the Government of Pakistan at several national and international fora. I hold a Master’s in Business Administration.

WIPO: Are you the first woman to be appointed to this post?

Yes, I am honored to be the first woman appointed as Director-General, IPO-Pakistan, which was established in 2005 by integrating all IP offices under one umbrella organization. Since its inception, seven (7) Director Generals have served the organization before my appointment, all of them were male officers. I am the first woman officer who has been appointed as Director-General of such a highly significant and prestigious organization. I have accepted the challenge with a determination to make a difference in its service delivery. It is actually a moment of pride for all working women in Pakistan.

WIPO: What is your vision for the IPO for the next few years?

I wish to see Pakistan on the Intellectual Property map of the world as a compliant and responsible country by promoting and protecting Intellectual Property Rights. I have joined this organization with the vision of change management. IPO Pakistan will be working in a digital environment with the application of Artificial Intelligence in all its processes. Improved service delivery in the IPRs registration and placement of an efficient and effective IPR enforcement mechanism are my priorities. Further, we are working to join several WIPO treaties including Patent Cooperation Treaty, Marrakesh Treaty, Internet treaties including WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), and WIPO Performances and Phonogram Treaty (WPPT). IPO Pakistan will be more active and participative at all international fora. Besides WIPO, I would like to exchange best practices in IPR management and enforcement with our counterpart organizations at the regional and global levels.

WIPO: Can you give an overview of the functions of the IPO? How many staff are now employed, and can you briefly describe the role of satellite Offices the IPO has across Pakistan?

Main Functions of IPO-Pakistan include registration of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); administration of Intellectual Property offices across the country; IPR enforcement coordination; promotion of Intellectual Property education, research, and awareness; advising the Government on policies relating to IPRs; coordination with counterpart international organizations on IP issues, etc.

Presently, the Head Office of the organization is at the federal capital, Islamabad. The main IP Registries including Trademark Registry, Patent Office, Central Copyright Office, and Registrar of Design Office are housed at IP House in Karachi, while two sub-regional offices are also established in Lahore and Peshawar. In addition, we are also providing online services to our stakeholders. There are 114 officers and officials working in the organization including technical staff like Patent examiners and Trademark examiners. Recently, the Government of Pakistan enacted the Geographical Indications Act under which the GI Registry will be established shortly.

WIPO: Pakistan joined the Madrid System last year, one of the major global IP treaties and one which can benefit businesses in filing their trademark applications internationally. Following this, does Pakistan have an interest in further expanding its participation in the global IP treaty system in the coming years?

Of course, as I have mentioned earlier, Pakistan is interested in joining other IP Treaties. Pakistan joined the Madrid System of International Registration Trademarks, on 24 February 2021. With the accession to the Madrid System, the trademark holders of Pakistan will be able to protect their trademarks in more than 100 countries by filing a single application at WIPO through IPO Pakistan. The business community of member countries will also be able to get the protection of their trademarks in Pakistan by using the Madrid System. It is a win-win situation for traders of both Pakistan and its trading partners to get the protection of Intellectual Property Rights for the promotion of genuine businesses in their markets as well as confidence-building of potential foreign investors.

As the next step, we are preparing to join the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), Marrakesh Treaty for VIPs, and Lisbon Agreement (Geneva Act) for Geographical Indications. For this purpose, consultations with stakeholders are underway. Soon after completion of the consultation process, summaries will be forwarded for approval by the President of Pakistan for formal accession to these WIPO treaties.

Joining of WIPO internet treaties and other WIPO agreements will be considered at a later stage.

WIPO: Would you say that the awareness and perception of IP protection have changed in Pakistan over the last 10 years?

Yes. I must say that awareness and perception of IP protection have improved over the past 10 years due to extensive awareness campaigns by IPO all over the country. The increasing trend of IP filings indicates that more and more IP holders, creators, innovators, and business entities are well aware of the importance of IP protection.  

IPO Pakistan has been working proactively in creating awareness about IPRs and in promoting IP education all over the country. For this purpose, IPO Pakistan has engaged academia, R&D institutions, industry, and other public and private sector organizations for the promotion of not only innovation but also IPR awareness. IPO Pakistan is continuously organizing seminars and workshops besides the handholding of innovators and creators. About 100 events are being organized all over the country annually, in addition to the capacity-building programs of law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. Resultantly there is a significant increase in IP application filing with IPO Pakistan during the last ten years.

The increasing trend for IP filings since the inception of IPO-Pakistan in 2005 is given below;

WIPO: How would you say IP protection can help the economy? Are there any sectors or areas of Pakistan’s economy that you would like to see better engage in the IP system?

The protection of IPRs is one of the major contributors to economic growth and competitiveness in any economy. All investors, specifically Multinational Companies base their decision about investment in any market on the status of IPRs enforcement regime there. Weak IPR enforcement system encourages counterfeiting and piracy which is a major impediment to inventions by inventors and investments by businesses in a comparative environment.

Understanding the importance of various components of the Intellectual Property system and using it effectively as an integral part of its business strategy is crucial to the success of investors in the marketplace. Businesses need the Intellectual Property system to protect manufacturing secrets and other confidential information and remain ahead of the competition. Businesses need to fully exploit their intellectual property assets to maintain consistent quality, and market products and services to consumers to develop long-term customer loyalty. To remain ahead of competitors, business entities must either continuously introduce radically new products and services or make small improvements to the quality of existing products and services. Changes are also made in response to customer needs; therefore, almost every product or service used in daily life gradually evolves as a result of a series of big or small innovations, such as changes in design or improvements in a product’s look and function. When a business is establishing its presence in the marketplace, protecting and managing its Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is critical as it leads towards success or failure. That is why it is important for businesses to wisely exploit IPRs as a business development strategy.

In Pakistan, creative industries (music, film, drama, literary work, etc.), computer software, agriculture, light engineering, SMEs, etc. are the potential sectors of the economy that may get maximum benefits by wise use of the IP system.

I would like to engage more with the creative industry as well as protected Geographical Indications, to enable them to play their role successfully in the economy of the country.

WIPO: For example, would you like to talk about the Outreach Initiative or the recent collaborations with universities and other institutes?

To support and promote Scientific Research and Development in the national institutions, IPO-Pakistan in collaboration with WIPO has established forty-seven (47) Technology Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) across the country. The TISCs have been established in the leading universities, R&D institutions, and Chambers of Commerce in Pakistan. These provide a unique network for the promotion of indigenous applied research protected by IP laws in the country. These centers provide access to more than 9 million patent-related data and information sources available on the WIPO database. We are also grateful to WIPO for supporting this initiative.

To promote innovation and creativity in the country and to boost the growth of a knowledge-based economy, integrated efforts of all organs of the State are vital. In this regard, IPO Pakistan took initiatives to strengthen institutional linkages and has signed MOUs with academia, R&D centers, and public sector organizations. The MOUs have been signed with partner institutions including; Punjab Information and Technology Board (PITB), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).

WIPO: What changes would you like to impart and what aspects of the IPO-Pakistan’s work would you like to highlight?

Some of the achievements of IPO-Pakistan during recent past are the enactment of Geographical Indication Law, joining of Madrid Protocol for Trademarks, implementation of e-office for a paperless environment, automation of IP registries, e-filing and e-payments for IP applications, effective IPR enforcement coordination, and robust IP awareness campaigns all over the country.

The future changes which I would like to bring about are joining of WIPO treaties i.e., PCT, Lisbon Agreement etc., improvement of examination system by use of AI and new technologies, digitization of remaining records of IP registries and quality induction of people in the organization.     

My roadmap for the progressive change in efficient and effective management of IPRs in Pakistan encompasses;

• Enhanced efficiency of the organization
• Updating IP Laws
• Effective IPR Enforcement Coordination
• Support on GIs
• Accession to International IP Treaties
• Promoting IPR Awareness