How to Register a Trademark in Pakistan
IPO Pakistan lets you file online as a SELF user without an agent. The form is TM-1, and the class you pick decides your protection.
You can file a trademark application yourself, online, without paying an agent. The Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan publishes a filing guide for exactly that, and calls it the SELF user route.
Most people assume a lawyer is required. IPO's own site offers two paths: a SELF user, meaning the applicant, and a REPRESENTATIVE user, meaning an agent acting for you.
We read this on ipo.gov.pk on 31 August 2026.
Where trademarks are handled
IPO-Pakistan is the government body, established under the IPO-Pakistan Act, 2012. Trademarks have their own registry and their own law.
| Item | Detail from IPO's site |
|---|---|
| Main law | The Trademarks Ordinance, 2001, as amended in 2023 |
| Recent change | Trade Marks (Amendment) Act, 2023 |
| Rules | Trademarks Rules, 2004 |
| Office | Trade Marks Registry, Karachi |
| Application form | TM-1, with a published guide on filling it |
IPO also has a head office in Islamabad and regional offices in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, with IP helplines listed for each.
Filing it yourself
The site carries online filing, a video tutorial, a procedure page for online registration, and separate filing guides for SELF users and REPRESENTATIVE users.
- Decide the class your goods or services fall into.
- Search the register and the e-Journal for anything similar.
- Create an account on IPO's online filing system as a SELF user.
- Complete the TM-1 form using the published guide.
- Pay the fee and keep every receipt and reference number.
The classification step is where self filers go wrong. Trademarks are registered for particular classes of goods and services, and IPO publishes both a Classification Summary and full Classification Details. Registering in the wrong class can leave you with protection that does not cover what you actually sell.
Search before you spend
A fee paid on an application that collides with an existing mark is a fee you do not get back in time or money.
IPO publishes an e-Journal, which is where applications and registrations are advertised. Look through it, and look at the classification you intend to use, before filing. If a similar mark already exists in your class, change the mark rather than argue about it later.
IPO also publishes average process time figures for its services, which is worth checking so your expectations match reality before you build a launch around a date.
A trademark is not a copyright, and neither is a patent
People arrive at IPO wanting to protect the wrong thing. Each has a separate law and, in most cases, a separate office.
A trademark protects a name, logo or mark used on goods or services, under the Trademarks Ordinance, 2001. A patent protects an invention, under the Patents Ordinance, 2000, at the Patent Office in Karachi. A registered design protects the appearance of a product, under the Registered Designs Ordinance, 2000. Copyright protects creative work such as writing, music and software under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962, at the Copyright Office in Karachi, and our guide to registering a copyright in Pakistan covers that route.
There is also a separate regime for Geographical Indications under the Geographical Indications (Registration and Protection) Act, 2020, which is what protects names tied to a place of origin.
Protecting the mark abroad
IPO's site covers the Madrid System, described as the international trademark system, with Pakistan able to act as Office of Origin.
That matters if you export or sell online to customers outside Pakistan. A Pakistani registration protects you in Pakistan. Filing an international application through the Madrid System is the route to protection elsewhere, and it starts from your Pakistani filing.
If somebody is copying you
IPO publishes IPR enforcement guidelines for Pakistan Customs and for Police and the FIA, and operates antipiracy and anti counterfeiting cells and a complaint handling process.
Registration is what makes enforcement possible. An unregistered name is much harder to defend. If you are already trading under a name you care about, that is an argument for filing now rather than after somebody else does.
If the copying is happening online, our guide to reporting a cybercrime covers that route as well.
Common questions about trademarks
Do I need a lawyer?
No. IPO provides a SELF user filing route and publishes a guide for it, alongside the representative route.
Which form do I use?
TM-1. IPO publishes a guide on how to fill it.
What is a class?
Trademarks are registered for particular classes of goods and services. IPO publishes a classification summary and full details.
Where is the trademark office?
The Trade Marks Registry is in Karachi, with a head office in Islamabad and regional offices in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
Does it protect me outside Pakistan?
No. For that, IPO's site covers the Madrid System, with Pakistan able to act as Office of Origin.
How long does it take?
IPO publishes average process time figures. Check those rather than relying on an estimate from anyone else.
Last checked and sources
Last checked 31 August 2026. We read the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan's website at ipo.gov.pk on that date. The establishment of IPO-Pakistan under the IPO-Pakistan Act, 2012, the Trademarks Ordinance, 2001 as amended in 2023 together with the Trade Marks (Amendment) Act, 2023 and the Trademarks Rules, 2004, the online filing facility with separate guides for SELF and REPRESENTATIVE users, the TM-1 form and its filling guide, the classification summary and details, the published average process time, the e-Journal, the Madrid System pages including Pakistan as Office of Origin, the office locations at Islamabad, the Trade Marks Registry and Patent Office and Copyright Office in Karachi and regional offices in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, the IP helplines, the separate laws for patents, registered designs, copyright and geographical indications, and the IPR enforcement guidelines for Pakistan Customs and for Police and FIA, are all taken from that site. We did not file an application ourselves, and no fee figure is quoted here because IPO publishes fee notifications separately and revises them. Check the current fee and forms on ipo.gov.pk before filing. Nothing here is legal advice.
About the author
Author
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
