“Good geographical indications policy turns local heritage into an exportable asset.”
Two IPO-Pakistan developments deserve more attention than they've gotten.
First, draft Intellectual Property (Enforcement and Coordination) Rules, 2025 have been circulating for input — an attempt to fix a persistent problem: Customs, provincial police and IPO-Pakistan often operate with limited coordination on the same infringement cases.
Second: Pakistan has been considering accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement (2015), which would let geographical indications — Basmati rice, Sindhri mangoes, Himalayan pink salt — seek protection in multiple countries through a single filing.
For an economy with genuine, globally recognized regional products, that's a route to actually monetizing heritage as intellectual property, not just talking about it.
Neither reform is law yet. Both are worth tracking closely if you work with GI-eligible products or cross-agency enforcement.
Source: Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan), 2026