Pakistan IP Office announces increase in the Official Fee for filing & prosecution of Trademarks

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Pakistan has announced that there will be an amendment to the official fee for all the procedures related to Trademarks by amending the Trademarks Rules, 2014. The amendment for the official fee was notified vide an Official notice dated March 04, 2019 and it will be entered into effect as of March 9, 2019 and constituted an escalation in the fee.

Some of the prominent changes in the fee are listed below:

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan accepts only single-class trademark applications; therefore, all fees are indicated accordingly.

Keeping aside the escalation in fee, the amendment is a strategic move by the IPO of Pakistan to create a more efficient and structured intellectual property protection system. Following the need to maintain an up to date IP infrastructure, the IPO of Pakistan may utilise the increase in official fees to benefit applicants by investing further into new initiatives.

The IPO is taking all necessary steps to evolve digitally. One of the most recent examples is an initiative is to allow for the filing of online trademark applications. The e-filing system is presently underway and will be available to nationals for direct filings through the system. Foreign applicants will have the option to file a Power of Attorney for their representatives who, in their turn, will access the system. The pilot project of the service, in its initial run and will allow only for filing procedures soon, however, it is set to deliver faster trademark services in the future.