In February 2021, the Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO) for capacity building of enforcement staffs to effectively deal with the competition law and intellectual property violations. The MoU was signed by the Commission Chairperson Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan and IPO Chairman Mr. Mujeeb Ahmed Khan in a ceremony held at the Commission’s office in Islamabad. In attendance were the Commission’s Members Ms. Bushra Naz Malik and Ms. Shaista Bano as well as senior officials from both the Commission and IPO. The major thrust of the MoU was to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the Commission and IPO in the areas of advocacy, research, capacity development, awareness and outreach programs. The MoU will allow the two regulators to not only exchange information on pertinent issues, but also consult on matters relating to their statutory roles. Furthermore, the MoU covers training of staffs of both regulators with regard to their respective mandates, and aims at developing and bolstering partnerships with other organizations that may assist in capacity building of both parties. The Commission is a statutory body mandated to protect and promote competition in Pakistan’s economy by, inter alia, curbing anti-competitive practices including deceptive marketing practices. Whereas, IPO is a statutory body with the responsibility of managing intellectual property rights through copyright, trademarks, patents and other general types of intellectual property regulations. The MoU reaffirms the longstanding association between the two agencies and leverage each agency’s comparative advantage to promote fair business practices in the economy.
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