Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Under the Copyright Ordinance of Pakistan, computer programs, source code, and object code are protected as "literary works". Registering software copyright is highly recommended to protect your intellectual assets from online piracy and unauthorized duplication.

Copyright protection begins automatically the moment a work is created in a tangible form. However, formal registration with the Copyright Office provides a certificate that serves as prima facie evidence of ownership in court, making it far easier to enforce your rights.

Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. IP is protected by law through patents, copyright, and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.

IP protection prevents competitors from copying your branding, products, or inventions without permission. It also turns your ideas into valuable business assets that can be sold, licensed, or used as collateral for loans, enhancing your company’s market valuation.

The Madrid Protocol is an international treaty that allows Pakistani businesses to file a single trademark application designating any of the 130+ member countries. This avoids hiring separate attorneys and paying different currencies in each country during initial filing, reducing global expansion costs by up to 60%.

Your invention is patentable if it meets three criteria: 1) Novelty (it has not been disclosed anywhere in the world before), 2) Inventive Step (it is not obvious to a person skilled in that field), and 3) Industrial Applicability (it can be made or used in an industry).

A patent lasts for 20 years from the date of filing, provided that annual maintenance/renewal fees are paid starting from the second year of the patent grant.

A trademark can include brand names, words, letters, numerals, drawings, symbols, 3D shapes, logotypes, catchphrases, and even sound or color combinations that distinguish your products or services from others.

In both Pakistan and Afghanistan, a registered trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of filing. It can be renewed indefinitely for successive 10-year terms upon payment of renewal fees.

Trademark Watch is a monitoring service where we scan weekly and monthly trademark journals published by the government to identify similar marks being filed by competitors. If we find a conflicting mark, we alert you and file an opposition within the legal 2-month window.