Protected rights make trade easy

By CLARISSA MOI
TRADE becomes easy for people to manoeuvre when intellectual property owners know that their rights are protected, an Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) official says.
Amelia Na’aru, the intellectual property office registrar, said last Friday during the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations that intellectual properties “crosses borders”.
Thus laws, reforms and institutions were there to ensure that the movement of intellectual property from one country to another was safe.
“Countries will not come to your country if they find that there are no laws to protect them. They must feel safe,” she said.
“They must (be) sure that their rights are protected before they can gain commercial access and value to their products.”
Na’aru said a platform was set by the United Nations that countries should be able to provide minimum standards protection.
“Not only the World Intellectual Property Organisation but the first important membership for PNG is the World Trade Organisation which requires us by law and obligation to provide minimum standard protection all around the world,” she said.
“So we are obligated. It’s not something that we wish to do but it’s by obligation so that trade becomes easier for people manoeuvre.”
Na’aru said Papua New Guineans were more consumers of products such as literature, technology, clothing and videos which were foreign-owned.
“We see a great consumption of these intellectual property materials and we have certain laws in PNG – the Trademark Act, Copyrights Act and the Patents and industrial Design Act.”