Copyright in Pakistan arises automatically on creation of an original work under the Copyright Ordinance 1962, without any requirement to register. That said, registration remains valuable for practical reasons.
What is protected
- Software source code and object code
- Website content, including text, graphics and layout where original
- Written works, including manuals, marketing copy and reports
- Photographs, video and other creative digital content
Why register anyway
Registration with the copyright office creates an official, dated record of ownership, which is considerably more useful as evidence in an infringement dispute than relying on the automatic protection alone and hoping to prove authorship and date of creation after the fact.
Ownership in employment and commissioned work
Ownership of copyright created by an employee in the course of employment, versus a freelancer or contractor engaged to create it, follows different default rules. This is one of the most common sources of dispute after the relationship ends, and is best resolved explicitly in the engagement contract rather than left to default rules.
What to do next
Bring the work itself, evidence of when it was created, and details of who created it — employee, contractor or in-house — so ownership can be established clearly.