Pakistan Trademark Information

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is located in South Asia. It borders Afghanistan and Iran in the west, and India in the east, and China in the Northeast. The population is estimated at 170,380,000 with a GDP of $451.97 billion.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have helped the two countries begin to work through their issues. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track.

Trademarks are assigned through the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan. Pakistan is not a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 7 years and may be renewed for further periods of 7 years each.

No trade mark nor part of a trade mark shall be registered which consists of, or contains, any scandalous design, or any matter the use of which would:

• by reason of its being likely to deceive or to cause confusion or otherwise, be disentitled to protection in a Court of justice ; or
• be likely to hurt the religious susceptibilities of any class of 1 [the citizens of Pakistan] ; or
• be contrary to any law for the time being in force or to morality.