Friday April 28, 2006

Interpol lauds KL’s anti-piracy measures

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, regarded as one of the region's top producers of pirated intellectual property (IP), has been commended for its efforts in checking such violations.

The praise came from the Motion Picture Association of America and Interpol, said Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal.

He said Interpol also praised Malaysia on its law enforcement during a meeting on IP piracy in Geneva recently.

“We have been successful in terms of enforcement of laws,” he said.

Malaysia's commitment to fighting piracy would also be proved with the setting up of the Intellectual Property Court by the end of the year, he said after the launching of National Intellect Day by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Shafie said the Government would sign the Patent Corporation Treaty next month to ease the way for Malaysians to patent their inventions at the international level.

Najib, in his speech, stressed the need to develop innovative thinking as a culture to enhance future wealth in IP.

He said IP was a new source of wealth for the country as studies showed that the economic catalyst for many developed countries was companies whose businesses were based on trademarks compared to the traditional businesses.

Later at the International Conference on Composite Materials and Nano-structures 2006 in Shah Alam, Najib said that nanotechnology was the way to make the army better and faster in warfare.

“Lighter, stronger, smarter and heat resistant nano-structures could be used in the production of weapons or to make military transportation faster, together with strengthening armour and saving energy,” he said.

Nanotechnology is a branch of science and engineering devoted to the design and production of extremely small electronic devices and circuits built from individual atoms and molecules.

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