Kuwait pays much heed to intellectual property protection

Kuwait attaches much attention to intellectual property protection due to its significance to the economic development process, said a senior commerce official."Kuwait has enacted laws and pieces of legislation aiming to protect intellectual property and boost consumers' awareness about the perils of trademark infringement," Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Khaldi said at a conference held here on Sunday.The protection of intellectual property and trademarks will surely contribute to the preservation of consumers' health and safety as per relevant international criteria, he addressed the event entitled: "Intellectual Property and Economic Development".There are challenges and obstacles haunting the protection of intellectual property rights in the Arab region as a result of lack of public awareness in this regard, he added.The conference is co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the GCC Intellectual Property Center and Kuwait University.The Kuwaiti official said the gathering revolves around ways and means of protecting intellectual property in the Arab region by means of sharing experience and expertise between the GCC and Arab countries and international organizations. Kuwait seeks to open up to world markets in order to bring benefits to consumers and the society and to create a competitive atmosphere to ensure a strong economy and provide more jobs, Al-Khaldi pointed out.