How to Register a Trademark Internationally From Pakistan Under the Madrid Protocol

Filing internationally under the Madrid Protocol from Pakistan is not a single filing — it's a sequence with a domestic starting point and an international middle stage, before the application ever reaches the countries where a client actually wants protection.

Step 1 — a basic Pakistani application or registration

Every Madrid filing needs a "basic" mark to build on: either a pending Pakistani trademark application or an existing Pakistani registration with the Trademarks Registry. The international application can't cover more than what the basic mark covers — the same goods and services, the same owner, and generally the same or a similar representation of the mark. Getting this basic filing right matters more here than in an ordinary domestic filing, because problems in it can eventually undo protection in every country designated internationally.

Step 2 — filing through the Trademarks Registry, Karachi

The international application is submitted to the Trademarks Registry in Karachi, acting as Office of Origin, rather than directly to WIPO. The Registry carries out a formal check — confirming the international application corresponds to the basic Pakistani mark — before certifying and forwarding it to the International Bureau in Geneva. This is a formalities check, not a substantive one; the Registry isn't assessing distinctiveness or conflicting marks in other countries at this stage.

Step 3 — WIPO examination and publication

WIPO's International Bureau conducts its own formal examination — classification of goods and services, completeness of the application, fees paid in Swiss francs — and raises any irregularities directly with the applicant or their agent. Once cleared, the mark is recorded on the International Register and published in the WIPO Gazette of International Marks, and WIPO notifies each designated country's trademark office.

Step 4 — examination in each designated country

This is the stage most applicants underestimate. Each designated country then examines the mark under its own national law, exactly as if it had been filed there directly — checking distinctiveness, searching for conflicting local marks, and applying its own absolute and relative grounds for refusal. A country generally has up to 18 months (12 months for some) to issue a provisional refusal; if none is issued in that window, protection is treated as granted by default in that country. A refusal in one designated country doesn't affect the others — each proceeds independently.

The five-year dependency period

For five years from the international registration date, the registration remains legally tied to the original Pakistani basic application or registration. If that basic mark is successfully opposed, cancelled, or otherwise fails within that window — for any reason, including reasons unrelated to the international filing — the international registration falls with it in every designated country, a consequence known as "central attack." After five years, the international registration becomes independent of the basic mark's fate. We build this timeline into filing strategy from the outset rather than treating it as a footnote.

This 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.