ISLAMABAD, April 26:  Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced the establishment of ‘Benazir hall of fame’ and an ‘intellectual property museaum’ in Islamabad, and asked the Capital Development Authority to allocate four acres of land in a most suitable place for this purpose.

Speaking at a conference here on Thursday to mark the observance of Intellectual Property Day, Mr Gilani said the government would provide the required funds for the establishment of the ‘Benazir Hall of Fame’.

The prime minister sought a report from the ministry of housing and works and the Intellectual Property Organisation within two weeks on the proposed hall of fame.

The Benazir hall of fame and intellectual property museaum would be a tribute to legends of the country as well as new creators and innovators.

The prime minister said the government held the country’s intellectuals in high esteem and gave weightage to their opinions.  “The artist community is the ambassador of Pakistan in the world since they are show-casing country’s culture, tradition and the image in the world,” he said.

The prime minister pledged that the government would give due attention to the intellectual property bills introduced in the Parliament which would protect the rights of national and international creators.

He said Pakistan would like to accede to the Madrid Protocol and Patent Coopeation Treaty (PCT) and the process would be completed this year.  At the same time, IPO-Pakistan should also examine the other WIPO treaties like copyright and performances and phonograms treaties for their accession, he added.

The prime minister also announced the initiation of one-window operation for all intellectual property services as the three registries in Karachi have been housed under one roof.

The integration of IP registries would facilitate stakeholders for better and efficient provisions of IP services, he said.

The prime minister invited talented brains of the country to explore scientific solutions to energy, health and other challenges faced by the country.

He said that prudent management and effective enforcement of intellectual rights encourage the creators, writers and innovators to continue to create and pursue new ideas and their scientific application for overall well-being of the society.

The prime minister stated that failure to protect intellectual property hampers innovation, creativity, economic growth and investment.  Weak intellectual property rights protection makes it nearly impossible for scientists, inventors, and creators to have rights over the use of their creations.

The government also loses revenue collection due to piracy and counterfeiting.  Ultimately, the masses have to suffer as investment stops and as a result jobs creation is hindered and revenue goes down rendering minimum budget for developmental activities, he said.