By Santhush Fernando in Colombo
Colombo, 16 January, (Asiantribune.com):
Minister Rishard Bathiudeen
Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Thilak Colure, Chief of the Economic Section of the US Embassy in Colombo Ed Heartny, US Patents and Trademarks Office Kalpana Reddy and high-ranking public officials were also present.
Minister Rishard Bathiudeen said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his manifesto “Mahinda Chinthana- Way Forward” endevours to make Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia and carries several strategies including ‘making Sri Lanka a hub of knowledge in Asia’.
“Thus, the promotion of innovation and creativity in the country, particularly aiming the knowledge related and technology intensive industries demands high priority. In other words, creation and generation of knowledge and intellectual property have become more and more relevant and essential today.”
Emphasising the importance of safeguarding intellectual property rights
“There is no doubt that the due protection and management of the so created knowledge and intellectual property should be assured. As the subject of intellectual property, spreads across many facets of human life such as innovation and creativity, trade, industry, environment, health, access to knowledge and food security, the mainstreaming of intellectual property in the respective development-oriented activities is also important. The intellectual property rights, if duly managed and used, can extensively contribute to the economic growth and poverty alleviation.”
He added that in pursuing our accelerated nation building process including the economic growth and the promotion of Sri Lanka as a knowledge hub in Asia it is essential, that the country has better organized and strengthened national innovative and creative eco-system where knowledge and intellectual property are created, used and respected.
“It is also crucial for us to make our intellectual property system truly development-oriented. We should reach all strata of society with the message of creativity and innovation. We must help every possible individual and organization to enhance their potential in creativity and innovation and protect and manage their intellectual property rights for their benefit as well as for the nation as a whole.”
Sri Lanka should also ensure the effective management of its national intellectual property assets such as geographical indications including “Ceylon Tea”, “Ceylon Cinnamon” and “Ceylon Sapphire” and traditional knowledge and genetic resources, he added.
“You, as the senior officers, should look constructively at these aspects in your day to day and re-visit the processes, plans and policies afresh to move forward in the direction of desired goals and HE the President’s vision in making Sri Lanka a knowledge hub and the Wonder of Asia. We all know that he wants us to be creative and innovative in carrying out our duties. We should also remember that we cannot progress as a nation if we are not creative and innovative,” Minister said.
Full Text of the Speech delivered by Minister:
It is with great pleasure; I participate today on the occasion of the inauguration of the awareness seminar on Intellectual Property for Senior State Officers, organized by National Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in cooperation with the United States Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) and the US Embassy in Colombo. As I understand, the programme has been designed to inform the participants, the relevancy and importance of Intellectual Property, in the economic development process. I am grateful to the organizers for inviting me to share some thoughts on a subject which is timely and very pertinent today to all of us gathered here.
As you are aware, we in Sri Lanka are now passing through an era of new resurgence with the dawn of peace. One of our expectation and goals in this new environment is the speedy reconstruction and reconciliation and the prosperity for our people. The ongoing reconstruction process which the government is tirelessly pursuing, embraces the long-term socio economic development as one of the top priorities.
Our development and related priorities, as well as the strategic approaches are enshrined in the nation building policy framework declared by His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa in “Mahinda Chinthana- Way Forward”. It is a policy framework which endevours to make Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia. It carries several strategies including ‘making Sri Lanka a hub of knowledge in Asia’. Similarly emphasis is placed on taking the science and technology to the grass-root level and promoting the participation of the rural populations, in the development related activities. Thus, the promotion of innovation and creativity in the country, particularly aiming the knowledge related and technology intensive industries demands high priority. In other words, creation and generation of knowledge and intellectual property have become more and more relevant and essential today.
There is no doubt that the due protection and management of the so created knowledge and intellectual property should be assured. As the subject of intellectual property, spreads across many facets of human life such as innovation and creativity, trade, industry, environment, health, access to knowledge and food security, the mainstreaming of intellectual property in the respective development-oriented activities is also important. The intellectual property rights, if duly managed and used, can extensively contribute to the economic growth and poverty alleviation.
Against this backdrop, the organization of this event is timely and likely to carry forward a futuristic message, producing far-reaching results if you take what you discuss today constructively and consider as a challenge.
In pursuing our accelerated nation building process including the economic growth and the promotion of Sri Lanka as a knowledge hub in Asia it is essential, that we must have better organized and strengthened national innovative and creative eco-system where knowledge and intellectual property are created, used and respected.
It is also crucial for us to make our intellectual property system truly development-oriented. We should reach all strata of society with the message of creativity and innovation. We must help every possible individual and organization to enhance their potential in creativity and innovation and protect and manage their intellectual property rights for their benefit as well as for the nation as a whole.
Moreover the need of ensuring the effective management of our national intellectual property assets such as geographical indications including “Ceylon Tea”, “Ceylon Cinnamon” and “Ceylon Sapphire” and traditional knowledge and genetic resources cannot be forgotten.
You, as the senior officers, should look constructively at these aspects in your day to day and re-visit the processes, plans and policies afresh to move forward in the direction of desired goals and HE the President’s vision in making Sri Lanka a knowledge hub and the Wonder of Asia. We all know that he wants us to be creative and innovative in carrying out our duties. We should also remember that we cannot progress as a nation if we are not creative and innovative.
In these circumstances, I firmly believe that this seminar will provide the participating senior officials, as a forum to discuss and share the views on the importance of innovative and creative activities and of the protection and management of the resultant intellectual property. You are the key people who can mainstream these areas, which form the very foundation of an environment conducive for making Sri Lanka, a knowledge hub.
Consequently, I sincerely thank the organizers for organizing this important event.
I am also grateful to the USPTO and the US Embassy in Colombo for all the cooperation extended to us in organizing this programme. It is my hope that they will continue to help us in promoting the national intellectual property system a truly development-oriented and more productive.
I wish you all a very successful and productive seminar. Thank you all very much.
- Asian Tribune -
http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/01/15/sri-lanka-harness-national-intellectual-property-system-development-minister-rishard
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