Patent protection in Pakistan is governed by the Patents Ordinance 2000, administered by the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan. It protects inventions that are new, involve an inventive step, and are capable of industrial application.
What is patentable
An invention must be novel, non-obvious to a person skilled in the field, and industrially applicable. Certain categories are excluded from patentability, including discoveries as such, and this exclusion is a common source of confusion for first-time applicants.
The application and examination process
A patent application is filed with IPO Pakistan and undergoes formal and substantive examination. The application must include a complete specification and claims defining the scope of protection sought — this is technical drafting work, and a poorly drafted claim can leave the protection narrower than the invention deserves.
Priority and international filing
Where an applicant has already filed in another country party to the relevant international conventions, a priority claim may preserve the original filing date when filing in Pakistan within the applicable period.
What to do next
Bring a complete technical description of the invention, including how it differs from existing solutions, before any public disclosure is made.