Office of Research Conducts Intellectual Property Rights Workshop
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The Intellectual Property Rights Workshop was hosted on Saturday, December 11, 2021 under the banner of Technology and Innovation Support Centers in collaboration with Intellectual Property Organization Pakistan, and Law and Politics Society, LUMS. The Office of Research (OR) invited legal and industry experts such as Ms. Shakra Kurshid (IPO, Pakistan), Mr. Haseeb Zafar (Zafar and Associates, LLP), Mr. Bilal Farid Rana (Servier Research and Pharmaceuticals, Pakistan), and Barrister Bilal Ashraf (B&S Advocates) to make this workshop comprehensive yet engaging.
The workshop started with an introduction of the esteemed panellists, and then Mr. Haziq Ali Khan, Research Assistant, OR was invited to give an overview of the topic. He defined intellectual property as “intangible ideas converted into a tangible form” while providing examples of copyrights, patents, and industrial designs.
After a concise introduction to the topic, the audience was ready to delve into details of intellectual property rights when Mr. Rana started his talk on Patents. With his energetic delivery, he explained that a patent grants you an exclusive right to make, use, and sell the invention. For a product to be patented: it must be a process or a product, must be new, must involve an inventive process, and must have an industrial application.
Subsequently, Barrister Ashraf began his talk on Copyright and Related Rights and defined copyright as the expression of an idea instead of merely having an idea in mind. He also explained the Requirements needed to be granted Copyright Protection – must be an idea that is expressed and needs to be original. Merits and demerits do not count.
Moving on from Copyright, a thorough, detailed, and well-explained session was given on Trademark and its application in business by Mr. Zafar, who presented the different forms of trademarks, which include shape marks, sound marks, certification marks, pattern marks, and services marks. He even walked us through the procedure of getting these trademarks registered, including meeting with TM Attorney, prefilling search, filling the Trademark Application, keeping in mind, and checking for any objection raised, then ensuring their removal (if any).
Afterwards, Ms. Aonia Masood Sarwan, Senior Legal Counsel, OR engaged with the audience to answer their questions on all the aspects of Intellectual Property. During the session, she explained the concept of dilution of the trademarks and related significance of the enforcement of trademark rights. She also elaborated on how one commercial product may carry different types of intellectual property at the same time.
Lastly, Ms. Shakra Khalid, Assistant Controller of Patents, further detailed the audience on Patent claim drafting, enlightening us with solid facts such as how it gives you the right to exclusivity for 20 years and the creation of inventions are patentable only if they are new and are non-obvious. She even walked us through the steps for Patent Claim Drafting, where certain checkboxes need to be ticked to ensure professionally apt drafting.
Overall, the event was a complete success where the audience felt engaged and informed. The examples and details included by the panellists were very tangible, and an exciting celebration of all things related to law. The speakers were relatable, and stayed true to the essence of legal knowledge that was very practical. It engaged the audience directly with their real-life legal problems leaving them with many questions, which were promptly answered by the panellists leading to healthy discussions.
