Business Recorder
KARACHI: Director General, Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan Noman Aslam has said that IPO Pakistan has launched an aggressive six-month digital transformation strategy aimed at revolutionizing Pakistan’s intellectual property ecosystem through automation, artificial intelligence and online complaint management to make trademark, copyright and patent services faster, transparent and business-friendly. Speaking during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, Noman Aslam said IPO Pakistan was shifting from conventional paperwork-based procedures towards a modern digital framework to reduce delays, improve examination quality and minimize litigation arising from trademark disputes and registration irregularities. President KCCI Muhammad Rehan Hanif, Senior Vice President Muhammad Raza, Former President Abdullah Zaki, members of KCCI’s Executive Committee and senior IPO Pakistan officials attended the meeting. DG IPO Pakistan stated that IPO mainly acts as a facilitating and coordinating institution while complaints relating to infringement, piracy, counterfeiting and unauthorized use are referred to FIA, police or Pakistan Customs depending on the nature of the violation. Customs handles piracy and border-related infringements, FIA deals with copyright and related matters, whereas police address trademark and market-level violations. Highlighting ongoing reforms, he informed that an Online Complaint Management System (CMS) had been launched and communicated to 15 major chambers of commerce across Pakistan. The portal enables businesses to electronically lodge complaints and monitor cases online without visiting IPO offices. Chambers have also been given representation in IPO’s Enforcement Committees. He urged KCCI to disseminate details of the CMS amongst members to facilitate SMEs and startups through a track-and-trace complaint mechanism aimed at reducing paperwork and unnecessary visits. Noman Aslam said IPO Pakistan was also pursuing integration of its CMS with FIA and other law enforcement agencies to establish end-to-end digital tracking of IP complaints with a target to resolve cases within 30 days. He said IPO Pakistan was streamlining its systems under a six-month roadmap focused on digitalisation, automation and institutional modernisation while offering webinars, workshops and training programs in collaboration with chambers and trade bodies to strengthen Pakistan’s knowledge economy and innovation ecosystem. Responding to concerns over delays and limited workforce, he said fresh recruitments made last year had helped reduce backlogs, however, IPO Pakistan was still not satisfied with the pace of work which prompted the organization to aggressively adopt technology and AI-based modernization. He added that AI-assisted examination systems, digital scrutiny tools and automated processes would improve transparency, consistency and efficiency while enabling faster decisions on trademark and patent applications. IPO Pakistan had also introduced job descriptions, performance benchmarks and KPIs, alongside continuous training and deployment of AI-assisted technologies to improve service delivery. “We will continue introducing more digital and AI-powered services during the next six months”, he added. Referring to Pakistan’s international obligations, he said trademark rules and procedures were being upgraded while the Patent Ordinance 2000 had also been revised in line with global technological and business changes. After stakeholder consultations, the final draft of amendments would soon be forwarded to the ministry and Cabinet for approval, while copyright-related laws were also being updated. President KCCI Muhammad Rehan Hanif highlighted the grievances of the business community over delayed and ineffective implementation of intellectual property laws, stating that lengthy and cumbersome trademark and copyright registration procedures were creating serious difficulties for genuine entrepreneurs and innovators. He said delays in registrations often enabled counterfeit or deceptively similar products and brand names to enter the market, causing financial losses and reputational damage to original businesses. President KCCI stressed the need to enhance awareness regarding IP laws, trademark protection and enforcement procedures, particularly for SMEs and startups. He proposed the introduction of a user-friendly digital trademark search and pre-screening facility enabling businesses to instantly verify the availability of brand names, logos and trademarks prior to filing applications, integrated with online fee submission and application tracking systems. He further pointed out that many businesses suffered losses when deceptively similar or misleading names were registered, forcing affected parties into lengthy appeals and opposition proceedings. He urged IPO Pakistan to adopt stronger scrutiny mechanisms to deny registration of confusingly similar names at the initial examination stage to avoid unnecessary litigation and market confusion. President KCCI also called for clearly defined and widely publicised enforcement mechanisms in cases involving trademark infringement, copyright violations and counterfeiting, noting that many businessmen remained unaware whether complaints should be pursued through IPO Pakistan, FIA, police or other agencies. He requested IPO Pakistan to issue comprehensive complaint handling guidelines and awareness material, assuring that KCCI would actively disseminate such information amongst its members and the wider business community. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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