PNG’s vast IP resources untapped: NRI

By FRANK ASAELI
OWNERS of products and creative knowledge can use copyrights, patents and designs to create wealth by granting others the right to use them, a research fellow at the National Research Institute said.
This was the opinion of Linda Duncan in a remark during the two-day World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and PNG national symposium on intellectual property (IP) education, research and training at the Gateway hotel that ended yesterday.
Ms Duncan said there were vast untapped intellectual property (IP) resources in PNG with key areas in traditional knowledge and agriculture, biotechnology and cultural heritage.
The benefits from intellectual property rights (IPR) for PNG are increased foreign investment, international trade, more competitive industries and improved access to technology.
Ms Duncan said economic growth was linked to the intellectual and creative capacity of a nation’s citizens.
“Intellectual and creative resources are becoming more important than natural resources to achieve sustainable growth,” Ms Duncan said.
She said when foreign technologies were protected from being copied it encouraged foreign firms to invest in local industry and bring their IP with them.
“Intellectual property in foreign goods was protected from being copied when the goods are traded.”
Ms Duncan said trademark protection facilitates product differentiation and encourages firms to compete for customers.
“New technologies can reduce production costs, enabling firms to lower prices and be more competitive.”
IPR encourages the early release of new technologies into the public domain and new technologies can be the basis for local researchers and investors to develop their own new systems, processes or products.
Ms Duncan stressed that PNG must increase awareness and understanding of intellectual property rights and encourage research, innovation and creativity and must ensure appropriate regulatory, administrative and enforcement frameworks for increased development.
There would be more sustainable production and reduced environmental impact.