Brand Protection Emergency in Pakistan: The First 48 Hours
The first 48 hours after discovering serious infringement or counterfeiting matter disproportionately — evidence disappears fast once an infringer suspects they've been noticed, and an interim injunction is strongest when sought before that happens.
Most brand protection matters aren't emergencies. Some genuinely are — a competitor launching under a near-identical mark days before a major event, a counterfeit shipment about to clear customs, a former distributor continuing to use your mark after termination. In those cases, what happens in the first two days shapes everything that follows.
Document before you contact anyone
Screenshots, photographs, purchase receipts, and dated records of when and how the infringement was discovered are far easier to gather before the infringing party knows they've been noticed. Once a cease and desist letter goes out or a raid is discussed, evidence has a way of disappearing — stock gets moved, listings get edited, websites get taken down. Gather what you can first.
Decide fast: letter first, or injunction first
For most disputes, a cease and desist letter is the right first move — see our companion article on cease and desist letters in Pakistan. In a genuine emergency, sending that letter first can be the wrong call, because it gives the infringer notice and time to destroy stock or disappear. We make this decision within the first conversation, based on how much is at stake and how likely the infringer is to simply move if warned.
Getting an interim injunction moving quickly
Where speed matters most, an interim injunction application before the Intellectual Property Tribunal can be filed on an urgent basis, supported by the registration and the evidence gathered — the goal is an order stopping the infringing use while the underlying case proceeds, not waiting for a final judgment months away.
Who to loop in immediately
Beyond counsel, this is the point to alert internal teams who might unknowingly complicate the situation — marketing teams who might publicly call out the infringer before legal action is filed, or sales teams still dealing with the same distributor or counterparty. A coordinated response in the first 48 hours is worth more than a perfect one that takes two weeks to organise.
For International Law Firms
Referral Partnership
We work with law firms outside Pakistan whose clients need trademark protection here. Firms that commit to referring at least 10 trademark filings a year receive their first 5 trademark applications — including official IPO-Pakistan fees — at no cost, while we build the working relationship.
Discuss a Referral PartnershipThis article is general information about Pakistani law and procedure, not legal advice for any specific matter. If this touches on something you're currently facing, get in touch and we'll advise on your facts directly.