Jalalvi Law Chamber – Patent Law Division
Secure Your Innovations with 20-Year Patent Protection in Pakistan
Expert patent law services for registration, drafting, PCT international filings, enforcement, and commercialization under Pakistan’s Patents Ordinance 2000. Protect your inventions with Pakistan’s leading patent attorneys.
Schedule Patent ConsultationPrincipal Patent Attorney Profile
Qamar Maqsood – Advocate High Court of Pakistan
With over 15 years of corporate and litigation experience, Advocate Qamar Maqsood brings specialized expertise in Patent Law and Intellectual Property Rights under Pakistan’s Patents Ordinance 2000. His unique combination of business administration (BBA), legal education (LLB), and project management (MS) creates exceptional capability for managing complex patent portfolios and commercialization strategies.
Registered practitioner before the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) with successful track record of patent prosecutions, oppositions, and enforcement actions. Specializes in pharmaceutical patents, mechanical innovations, software-related inventions, and biotechnology patent applications.
Understanding Patents in Pakistan
A patent is a grant of exclusive rights for an invention that allows the patent owner to make, use, and sell the invention for a limited period of 20 years in Pakistan. This legal monopoly excludes others from making, using, or selling the patented invention without authorization. Patent protection commences only upon the actual grant of the patent by the Patent Office, not from the filing date, though provisional protection may apply in certain circumstances.
The patent system serves crucial public interest objectives by encouraging technological advancement through disclosure of inventions. In exchange for revealing innovative techniques to the public, inventors receive exclusive rights for a limited period. This balance between private incentive and public benefit drives industrial progress while ensuring that after patent expiry, inventions enter the public domain for unrestricted commercial exploitation.
Patent Rights & Ownership
- Exclusive Rights: Patent owners hold exclusive rights to commercially exploit their invention for 20 years from filing date
- Licensing Authority: Patent owners may license their invention to others on mutually agreed commercial terms
- Assignment Rights: Complete ownership can be transferred through assignment to new patent owners
- Enforcement Powers: Right to sue for infringement and seek injunctions, damages, and accounts of profits
- Geographic Limitation: Patent protection is territorial, requiring separate applications in each country
- Time Limitation: Protection ends after 20 years, after which the invention becomes public domain
Patentability Requirements in Pakistan
Under Pakistan’s Patents Ordinance 2000, an invention must satisfy four essential criteria to qualify for patent protection:
The invention must be either a product (substance, article, apparatus, machine) or a process (art, method, manner of manufacture). Improvements to existing products or processes also qualify.
The invention must not form part of the “state of the art” – meaning it hasn’t been disclosed publicly anywhere in the world through publication, use, or any other means before the filing date.
The invention must not be obvious to a person skilled in the relevant technical field. It must represent a substantive advancement over existing knowledge, not merely an obvious extension.
The invention must be capable of being made or used in any kind of industry. This includes agriculture, manufacturing, and other industrial applications.
Non-Patentable Inventions in Pakistan
The following are not considered inventions under Pakistan’s Patents Ordinance 2000:
- Discoveries, scientific theories, mathematical methods, or laws of nature
- Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works (protected by copyright)
- Schemes, rules, or methods for performing mental acts, playing games, or doing business
- Presentation of information or computer software per se
- Plants, animals (except microorganisms), and essentially biological processes
- Diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical methods for treating humans or animals
- New uses of known products or processes without additional ingenuity
- Mere changes in physical appearance of chemical products
- Inventions contrary to public order or morality
Patent Registration Process in Pakistan
Step 1: Prior Art Search & Analysis
Comprehensive novelty search to assess patentability and identify existing similar inventions in global databases.
Step 2: Patent Drafting
Preparation of complete specification including claims, description, drawings, and abstract meeting IPO-Pakistan requirements.
Step 3: Filing Application
Submission of patent application with provisional or complete specification at Pakistan Patent Office with required fees.
Step 4: Formality Examination
Initial review by Patent Office for compliance with formal requirements and documentation completeness.
Step 5: Publication
Application publication in Patent Journal after 18 months, opening 4-month opposition period for third parties.
Step 6: Substantive Examination
Detailed examination of novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability by patent examiners.
Step 7: Response to Objections
Addressing examination reports, amending claims if necessary, and overcoming patentability objections.
Step 8: Grant & Registration
Issuance of Letters Patent upon successful examination, with 20-year protection from filing date.
Our Comprehensive Patent Legal Services
Patent Registration & Prosecution Services
We provide comprehensive patent registration services beginning with meticulous prior art searches across global patent databases including WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE, USPTO, EPO, and national databases to assess novelty and patentability of inventions before filing. Our expert patent attorneys conduct in-depth analysis of search results, identifying closest prior art and advising on strategic positioning of inventions to maximize protection scope while avoiding anticipation issues. We specialize in drafting robust patent specifications with carefully crafted claims that define the invention’s boundaries precisely, ensuring broad yet defensible protection that withstands examination challenges and potential infringement disputes.
Our prosecution team manages the complete patent application process at the Pakistan Patent Office, handling all formalities including application filing, fee payments, document submissions, and correspondence with patent examiners. We prepare and submit responses to examination reports, addressing novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability objections through persuasive argumentation and strategic claim amendments when necessary. For complex technical inventions, we collaborate with subject matter experts including engineers, scientists, and technical specialists to ensure accurate description of inventions and proper claiming of technical features. We manage convention applications claiming priority under the Paris Convention, ensuring timely filing within the 12-month priority period and proper documentation of priority claims.
We handle patent of addition applications for improvements or modifications of already patented inventions, securing protection for incremental innovations without separate renewal fees. Our services include managing divisional applications when inventions contain multiple distinct inventions, ensuring comprehensive protection without unity of invention objections. We provide strategic advice on filing strategies considering budget constraints, commercial importance, and enforcement considerations, recommending appropriate timing and geographical scope for patent protection. For pharmaceutical patents, we navigate additional requirements including working statements and special examination procedures, ensuring compliance with Pakistan’s pharmaceutical patent regulations. We manage the publication process, monitoring the 18-month publication timeline and handling pre-grant opposition proceedings if initiated by third parties.
Patent Drafting & Specification Preparation
Our patent drafting service creates comprehensive patent specifications that meet the stringent requirements of Pakistan’s Patent Office while maximizing protection scope and enforceability. We begin with detailed inventor interviews to thoroughly understand the technical details, innovative aspects, and potential applications of the invention, identifying the core inventive concept and its distinguishing features from prior art. Our specifications include clear and complete descriptions enabling persons skilled in the art to reproduce the invention, with detailed embodiments, working examples, and best mode disclosures that satisfy sufficiency requirements.
We draft claims with strategic precision, constructing independent claims that capture the broadest possible protection while dependent claims provide fallback positions and cover specific embodiments. Our claim drafting considers prosecution history estoppel implications, potential infringement detection methods, and enforcement strategies, ensuring claims serve both protection and commercial objectives. For complex inventions, we prepare detailed drawings, flowcharts, chemical formulas, and sequence listings as required, ensuring technical accuracy and compliance with patent office formatting requirements. We draft abstracts that concisely summarize the technical field, problem addressed, solution provided, and principal uses of the invention.
Our biotechnology patent drafting services handle sequence listings, biological material deposits, and special requirements for genetic engineering inventions. For software and business method inventions, we draft claims that navigate patentable subject matter boundaries while protecting core innovative aspects. Our mechanical patent drafting accurately describes structural features, spatial relationships, and functional interactions with precise technical terminology. Chemical patent drafting includes detailed formulation ranges, process parameters, and property characteristics that define the invention’s scope. We prepare prosecution support documents including declarations of inventorship, assignments, priority documents, and power of attorney forms, ensuring complete documentation for smooth prosecution.
International Patent Protection & PCT Applications
We provide comprehensive international patent protection services through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system and direct national filings in key jurisdictions worldwide. Our PCT strategy begins with advising on optimal timing for international phase entry, considering Paris Convention priority periods, commercial launch plans, and budget allocations for multinational protection. We prepare and file PCT international applications designating all contracting states, managing all procedural requirements including form completion, fee calculations, and document submissions to the Receiving Office.
During the international phase, we coordinate with International Searching Authorities (ISA) to obtain international search reports and written opinions on patentability, analyzing these documents to assess international protection prospects and formulate response strategies. We prepare and file demand for international preliminary examination when necessary to overcome objections and strengthen the application before national phase entry. Our strategic advice on national phase entry includes selecting optimal countries based on market importance, manufacturing locations, competitor presence, and enforcement environment, balancing protection needs with cost considerations.
We manage national phase entries in key jurisdictions through our network of associate patent attorneys worldwide, ensuring consistent prosecution strategy and quality representation across different patent offices. Our services include advising on regional patent systems including European Patent Convention (EPC) filings, African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) applications, and Eurasian Patent Convention filings where applicable. We handle validation procedures in designated states after regional grant, managing translations, fee payments, and formal requirements in each national jurisdiction. For countries not party to PCT, we manage direct national filings within priority periods, coordinating with local counsel to ensure timely and proper application submission.
Patent Enforcement & Litigation Services
Our patent enforcement practice provides aggressive protection against infringement through strategic litigation, administrative actions, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. We begin with comprehensive infringement analysis, comparing allegedly infringing products or processes against patent claims through element-by-element analysis, considering both literal infringement and equivalents doctrine applications. We conduct freedom-to-operate (FTO) analyses for clients launching new products, identifying potential patent risks and designing around strategies to avoid infringement claims.
For identified infringements, we develop enforcement strategies considering commercial objectives, relationship with infringers, market dynamics, and enforcement cost-effectiveness. Our enforcement actions range from cease and desist letters and negotiation attempts to urgent injunction applications before High Courts to stop ongoing infringement immediately. We file patent infringement suits seeking permanent injunctions, damages (including compensatory, punitive, and account of profits), delivery up of infringing goods, and costs of litigation. Our litigation team has extensive experience before Pakistan’s High Courts in patent infringement matters, with successful track record in both obtaining and defending against interim and permanent injunctions.
We handle patent revocation actions, defending patents against validity challenges and attacking competitor patents through revocation petitions on grounds including lack of novelty, obviousness, insufficient disclosure, and non-patentable subject matter. Our opposition practice includes pre-grant and post-grant opposition proceedings before the Patent Office, challenging problematic patent applications before grant to prevent issuance of overly broad or invalid patents. We coordinate multi-jurisdictional litigation for international patent portfolios, ensuring consistent legal positions and coordinated timing across different national courts. For Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), we advise on FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, And Non-Discriminatory) licensing obligations and enforcement strategies in standards-implementing industries.
Patent Licensing, Commercialization & Portfolio Management
We provide strategic advisory services for patent commercialization through licensing, assignment, and technology transfer arrangements that maximize return on innovation investment. Our licensing practice drafts and negotiates comprehensive patent license agreements covering exclusive, non-exclusive, and sole license arrangements with appropriate field-of-use, territory, and duration limitations. We structure royalty arrangements including upfront payments, running royalties (based on sales, units, or other metrics), minimum annual royalties, and milestone payments tied to development or regulatory achievements.
Our technology transfer services facilitate university-industry collaborations, research institution commercialization, and inter-company technology sharing through carefully structured agreements that protect intellectual property while enabling productive collaboration. We conduct patent valuations for various purposes including licensing negotiations, merger and acquisition transactions, financing arrangements, and financial reporting, employing appropriate valuation methodologies (cost, market, and income approaches) tailored to specific contexts. Our due diligence services for transactions involving patent assets include comprehensive review of patent portfolios, identification of validity risks, freedom-to-operate analysis, and assessment of maintenance status and upcoming deadlines.
We manage complete patent portfolios for corporations, monitoring renewal deadlines, managing annuity payments, and maintaining patent registers to ensure continued protection. Our portfolio strategy services align patent protection with business objectives, recommending filing priorities, geographic coverage, and technology areas based on commercial importance and competitive landscape. We conduct regular portfolio audits to identify underutilized patents, potential licensing opportunities, and patents suitable for abandonment to reduce maintenance costs. For startups and technology companies, we develop IP strategies that support funding rounds, with patent portfolios structured to attract investment and provide competitive barriers. Our patent landscaping services analyze technology fields to identify white spaces, competitor patenting activity, and potential collaboration or acquisition targets.
Global Visibility & Patent Law
Targeted Search Terms & Patent-Specific Queries
Strategic Authority Building
Government & Patent Office Portals
Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) website, Patent Office directory, Ministry of Commerce IP division, WIPO member directory, Pakistan Academy of Sciences patent resources, Provincial industry departments innovation portals.
Legal & Professional Directories
Martindale-Hubbell patent attorney ratings, International Trademark Association (INTA) member directory, Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA) Pakistan group, Pakistan Bar Council specialist register, Legal500 patent law rankings, Chambers and Partners patent practice reviews.
Technology & Innovation Associations
Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) legal resources, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) patent committee, Engineering Council Pakistan innovation portal, Pakistan Science Foundation research commercialization resources, Tech startups incubators legal partner listings.
Educational & Research Institutions
University of Punjab Intellectual Property Law Department, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Law School, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) technology transfer office, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) innovation center, Research journal patent law articles.
International IP Organizations
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) external resources, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Pakistan group, International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI) events, European Patent Office (EPO) international cooperation, USPTO global patent resources.
Media & Industry Publications
Managing Intellectual Property magazine contributions, World Trademark Review patent features, Patent Lawyer Magazine articles, Dawn Business patent law columns, Business Recorder IP special reports, Tech journals innovation law features.
Strategic Authority Building
Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) website, Patent Office directory, Ministry of Commerce IP division, WIPO member directory, Pakistan Academy of Sciences patent resources, Provincial industry departments innovation portals.
Martindale-Hubbell patent attorney ratings, International Trademark Association (INTA) member directory, Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA) Pakistan group, Pakistan Bar Council specialist register, Legal500 patent law rankings, Chambers and Partners patent practice reviews.
Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) legal resources, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) patent committee, Engineering Council Pakistan innovation portal, Pakistan Science Foundation research commercialization resources, Tech startups incubators legal partner listings.
University of Punjab Intellectual Property Law Department, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Law School, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) technology transfer office, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) innovation center, Research journal patent law articles.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) external resources, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Pakistan group, International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI) events, European Patent Office (EPO) international cooperation, USPTO global patent resources.
Managing Intellectual Property magazine contributions, World Trademark Review patent features, Patent Lawyer Magazine articles, Dawn Business patent law columns, Business Recorder IP special reports, Tech journals innovation law features.