AMMAN - Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP) and the Working Group on Human Resources and Capacity Building of the UN ICT Taskforce, called for attempts to fully implement the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and urged assistance to Arab states to help them join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Abu-Ghazaleh also called for the organizing of support for IP protection and the improvement of its management, in addition to higher attention to education in order to assist in the creation of a generation of inventors that are able to develop and innovate.
Moreover, he emphasized the need to activate governmental support for investment in research and development (R&D) and the participation of Arab countries in IP-related international treaties, in addition to the establishment of a Procedures Office to serve the entire Arab world.
These remarks were made at a lecture delivered by Abu-Ghazaleh at the Amman Chamber of Commerce entitled, "The world's intellectual property map …and us" whereby he revealed that globalization has shed light on the differences between national IP systems, which created a need for the set up of a more rational and coordinated global system.
Abu-Ghazaleh asserted that we (Arabs) are capable of formulating an official map of our region and introduce it in Arabic to participants, the public and the media, illustrating our ability to significantly contribute to the development of Arab intellectual property and thereby facilitating the contribution of the Arab world to the global economy which is built on knowledge.
He pointed out that the core issues facing business organizations nowadays regarding IP is the globalization of the economy, the development of new technologies for innovation, non-technical resources for works that are not protected by current IP laws in addition to the integration of current IP topics with politics and changes in the methods of work.
He expected that the benefits of applying the commitments stipulated in the TRIPS Agreement will be reaped during the next decade; however, he added that we cannot wait for there is a need for a well-informed, advanced opinion on IP to be adopted by individuals and sectors of the Arab countries to avoid being victimized. Effective implementation, in the medium and long term, depends on public support, he added; moreover, intellectual property rights and their respect on a wider level may encourage the selection of a policy that will contribute to the knowledge capital of the country.
For his part, the Chairman of the Federation of Jordanian Chambers of Commerce, Mr. Haider Murad, said that all concerned economic and commercial sectors have already begun adjusting their positions in respect to the items of the Jordanian IP law, noting that the Federation is well aware of the importance of the international developments on the economic level and is working to spread awareness and knowledge amongst business sectors on all issues and amendments.