How it works
We file, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States and other jurisdictions through independent associated firms. We instruct and coordinate them, so you deal with one point of contact and receive consistent reporting from our office in Pakistan.
For foreign clients and law firms, the same arrangement works in reverse: we act directly in Pakistan and take your instructions for filings, prosecution and enforcement here.
What we handle outside Pakistan
Trademarks
Searches, national applications, Madrid designations, responses, oppositions, renewals and recordals.
Patents and designs
National applications and PCT national phase entry, prosecution and annuities, and design applications, where the local law provides for them.
Copyright
Registration and deposits where available, and cautionary notices where local practice supports them.
Enforcement
Customs measures, market actions and online takedowns, coordinated with local counsel.
Before you file abroad
Choose your markets
Choose markets by where you manufacture, sell and are likely to face copying, not only where you sell today. A phased plan lets you file first where it matters most.
Use the priority period
An application in one Paris Convention country gives a priority period to file elsewhere with the original filing date: six months for trademarks and designs, twelve months for patents.
Search locally first
A search shows whether a mark is available and whether it should be adapted or transliterated for markets such as China, Japan, Korea and the Arabic-speaking countries.
File early
Many countries give rights to the first to file, so an early filing reduces the risk of someone else registering your mark in bad faith.
Protect novelty
Most countries require an invention to be new at the filing date, so publishing or selling it before the first filing can prevent protection abroad.
Plan for use
Some countries require a mark to be used, or a declaration of use to be filed, and allow cancellation after a period of non-use, commonly three to five years.
International systems
Where the countries concerned are members, an international system can reduce the number of separate filings: the Madrid System for trademarks, the Patent Cooperation Treaty for patents, the Hague System for industrial designs, the European Union trade mark and design systems, and the regional offices ARIPO and OAPI in Africa. We advise whether a national or an international route suits your markets and business plans.
Two points are worth planning for. An international trademark registration depends on the home registration for its first five years. A PCT application generally enters the national phase 30 months from the earliest priority date, although some offices apply different periods.
What you will need to prepare
Depending on the country, a filing may require a signed power of attorney, notarised or legalised documents, certified translations, priority documents or the appointment of local counsel. We confirm the requirements for each jurisdiction before filing.
Keeping your rights in force
Foreign rights need the same care after grant as before. Renewal and annuity dates differ in each country, changes of owner, name or address need to be recorded, and conflicting filings by others should be watched. We keep a single schedule for your foreign portfolio and tell you in advance what falls due.
Where a right is infringed abroad, we coordinate action with local counsel, including Customs measures and online takedowns.
Discuss your matter with us
Tell us what you need. We will confirm receipt and keep you updated at every stage.