Copyright in Pakistan


What is Copyright in Pakistan ?

Copyright PakistanCopyright in Pakistan is a form of protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship,”. Under the Pakistani Law Copyright includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection of Copyright in Pakistan is available to both published and unpublished works. The owner of copyright has the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following in Pakistan:

  • To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords;
  • To prepare derivative works based upon the work;
  • To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
  • To perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
  • To display the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and
  • In the case of sound recordings*, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.
Recommended Law Firm in Karachi Pakistan by Legal 500
Recommended Law Firm in Karachi Pakistan by Legal 500

As per Pakistani Intellectual Property Law, specially Copyright Law It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of copyright . These rights, however, are not unlimited in scope, the copyright law establishes limitations on these rights. In some cases, these limitations are specified exemptions from copyright liability. One major limitation is of “fair use,” In other instances, the limitation takes the form of a “compulsory license” under which certain limited uses of copyrighted works are permitted upon payment of specified royalties and compliance with statutory conditions. For further information about the limitations of any of these rights, consult the copyright law, We are always happy to provide legal assistance to Pakistani and International Clients.