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In Pakistan, trademarks are registered by the Trade Marks Registry of the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) under the Trade Marks Ordinance, 2001 and the Trade Marks Rules, 2004. A registration gives you the exclusive right to use your name, logo or slogan for the goods or services it covers, and the legal footing to act against someone who copies it. It is also the only thing that does: a company name approved by the SECP, a domain name or a busy Facebook page does not give you trademark rights.
We help Pakistani founders, software houses and online sellers with the preparation and filing from our Karachi office. This page explains how the Pakistani system differs from the US and UK ones, what the official fees are, and why the process takes longer than most people expect. It is general information, not legal advice — Zenesa Tech is not a law firm, and if your application is opposed or you receive a notice about someone else's mark, you should speak to a licensed advocate or trademark attorney.
Words, brand names, logos, slogans, labels and combinations of them can all be registered, as long as the mark can distinguish your goods or services from other traders'. The examiner will object to a mark that simply describes the product (“Best Biryani” for a restaurant, “Fast Web Solutions” for a software house), uses common laudatory words, is likely to deceive, or includes protected names and emblems. Invented or unusual names are the easiest to register and the most valuable to own.
For a logo, decide early whether you are protecting the name on its own, the design, or both, because each is a separate application. Our guide to how to trademark a logo explains the word-mark-versus-logo-mark choice; it is written around the USPTO, but the trade-off is the same in Pakistan. If you are still choosing a name, our logo design service works with registrability in mind.
Before you file, check whether anyone has already registered or applied for the same or a confusingly similar mark in your class. IPO-Pakistan offers an official search on Form TM-55, and a clash found at this stage costs you nothing but a rethink. Found later, it becomes an examiner's objection or an opposition, both of which add months to an already long process. Search for the exact name, close spellings, words that sound the same and translations or transliterations between Urdu and English. Our guide to how to do a trademark search walks through the method on the US register; the same thinking applies here.
Goods and services are grouped into the 45 classes of the international Nice Classification: software in class 9, clothing in class 25, advertising and online retail in class 35, IT and design services in class 42, restaurants in class 43. The biggest practical difference from the UK and US is that Pakistan does not accept multi-class applications. Each class is a separate application with its own fee, its own number and its own progress through the Registry.
So choose the classes deliberately. A software house usually needs class 42 and often class 9; a clothing brand selling online needs class 25 and may need class 35. Claiming classes you have no plan to trade in costs money now and is vulnerable later, because a registration that is not used for five years can be removed for non-use.
IPO-Pakistan's fees were last revised in 2019, when the government raised official intellectual-property fees by 50% with effect from 9 March 2019. The published schedule lists:
| Form | What it is for | Official fee |
|---|---|---|
| TM-1 | Application to register a mark, one class | PKR 3,000 |
| TM-11 | Registration fee, paid after acceptance when the Registry issues its demand notice | PKR 9,000 |
Because every class is a separate application, a brand filed in two classes pays both fees twice. Several consultancies quote higher figures for online filing, and fees can be revised, so confirm the amount on IPO-Pakistan's portal at the point of payment rather than relying on any guide — including this one. Professional help with searching and drafting is charged on top of the official fees.
Put together, an unopposed application commonly takes 18 to 24 months to reach a certificate, according to practitioners who file there regularly. That is much slower than the UK, where GOV.UK puts an unopposed application at three to four months (see our page on UK trade mark registration), and broadly comparable to the US — our US trademark registration timeline sets out that process stage by stage. The practical lesson is to file early: your rights date from the filing date, not the certificate.
A registration lasts ten years and can be renewed for further ten-year periods indefinitely. Renewal can be filed in the year before the expiry date, and there is a six-month grace period after expiry in which a late renewal is still possible with an extra fee. Keep using the mark as registered: a mark left unused for five years can be removed from the register on a non-use application.
Trademarks are territorial. A US or UK registration gives no protection in Pakistan, and a Pakistani registration gives none abroad. Foreign businesses can apply in Pakistan, and if you filed in another Paris Convention country first, you can claim that earlier date as priority as long as the Pakistani application is made within six months.
The reverse matters just as much for Pakistani companies selling overseas. A software house with clients in the United States, or an online brand shipping to the UK, should think about registering in those markets too. Our main trademark registration services page covers USPTO, UKIPO, EUIPO and WIPO filings, and our guide to what a US trademark costs sets out the USPTO's fees.
If an objection needs legal argument, or someone opposes your mark, we will tell you so plainly and point you to a licensed advocate rather than guess. Filing support is quoted per application, because the work depends on the number of classes and what the search turns up.
IPO-Pakistan's published fee schedule lists PKR 3,000 for a TM-1 application in one class and PKR 9,000 for the registration certificate (TM-11) once the mark is accepted. Each class needs its own application and fee. Some consultancies quote higher figures for online filing, so confirm the amount on IPO-Pakistan's portal when you pay. Any professional help is on top of the official fees.
Usually well over a year. The Registry acknowledges an application within about two weeks, but the examination report can take from around three months to a year depending on the backlog. After acceptance the mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal for a two-month opposition period. Practitioners commonly estimate 18 to 24 months to registration for an unopposed application.
No. Pakistan does not accept multi-class applications. If your brand covers, for example, software in class 9 and IT services in class 42, you file two separate applications and pay two filing fees.
No. Registering a company name with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan creates the legal entity; it does not give you trademark rights in the name or logo you trade under. Those come from a trademark registration with IPO-Pakistan.
Ten years, and it can be renewed for further ten-year periods. Renewal can be filed in the year before expiry, and there is a six-month grace period after expiry with a late fee. A registered mark that has not been used for five years can be removed for non-use.
Our Karachi team also designs and builds websites for Pakistani businesses — see web design in Karachi. To start a trademark search or filing, send us the details: the name or logo, what you sell and where you sell it. You can also email info@zenesatech.com or call +92 328 2311040.
Karachi office: Office No 402, 63c 21st Commercial Street, DHA Phase 2 Extension, Karachi, Pakistan.
Copyright © 2026 Zenesa Tech.
All Rights Reserved.