Register property rights: Official

By PISAI GUMAR
ONLY 19 companies in the country are registered with PNG Customs Services Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement recordation division to enable security and monitoring of infringements, an official says.
PNG Customs Services (PNGCS) director of intellectual property rights and passenger policy (IPR-PP) Tom Vere urged the rights holders (companies) to come forward and get their industrial trademarks and brand names registered and protected. According to IPR enforcement records, only 19 companies registered with PNGCS; 46 companies registered their trademarks and just nine registered their copyrights.
“If companies are registered with PNGCS, then as the rights holder(s), they can seek advice from us and arrange police to execute the power to remove counterfeit products duplicating their brand and trademarks on shelves in shops,” Vere said.
He said the government regulatory agencies were available to help rights holders enforce regulations to address widespread counterfeit and infringement issues affecting businesses in the country.
“However, companies are not approaching government agencies, maybe, because of a lack of awareness and information on procedures to follow conducted by us agencies or maybe ignorance by the companies,” he said. “We have to work together to find a common ground to assist each other to minimise this widespread issue because it is affecting the Government, businesses and consumers too.”
Vere said the country had good laws in place but without adequate manpower and logistics in respective agencies to enforce the regulations.
The two main issues were infringement of products and substandard products or goods. Vere said the infringement of goods was the issue with rights holders and substandard goods dealt with industrial regulations.
Therefore it was better for relevant state agencies to create a memorandum of understanding with PNGCS to work alongside each other and companies to address the issue.
He said companies that felt their rights were infringed must come and work with PNGCS.