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Copyright registration in Pakistan costs Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 per work on Form-II at IPO's Copyright Office and takes about 11 months. Documents and steps.
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Copyright registration in Pakistan is voluntary: copyright exists once a work is created. Registering with IPO-Pakistan's Copyright Office on Form-II costs Rs 2,000 for a book, artwork or song, Rs 5,000 for software, Rs 6,000 for artwork used with goods such as a logo, and Rs 10,000 for a film, as of October 2026. IPO's average time to a certificate is about 11 months. Artistic works must also be advertised in a newspaper. Protection usually lasts until 50 years after the author's death.
Copyright registration in Pakistan is done at IPO-Pakistan’s Copyright Office on Form-II. The fee is Rs 2,000 for a book, artwork or song, Rs 5,000 for software and Rs 10,000 for a film, as of October 2026. IPO’s average time to a certificate is about 11 months. Registration is optional: your copyright exists from the day you create the work, but the certificate is your proof in court.
No. IPO’s own FAQ says copyright is secured automatically when a work is created in a fixed form, and registration is not compulsory.
Registering still helps. Under section 42 of the Copyright Ordinance, 1962, a registration certificate is prima facie evidence that copyright exists and that the person named on it is the owner.
What copyright doesn’t cover, per IPO’s FAQ:
Owning a copy of a book or painting also doesn’t make you the copyright owner.
IPO groups works into four kinds:
| Kind of work | Examples from IPO |
|---|---|
| Literary | Books, magazines, lectures, dramas, novels, computer software, compilations of data |
| Artistic | Paintings, photographs, drawings, maps, calligraphy, sculptures, architectural works, label designs, logos, monograms |
| Cinematographic | Movies, dramas, documentaries, animated films, games |
| Record | Songs, music, sound recordings |
A logo can be both an artistic work and a trademark. Copyright protects the artwork; a trademark registration protects the brand on your goods or services. The trademark vs copyright vs patent guide explains which one fits which asset.
Fees on Form-II, per work, from IPO’s fee page as of October 2026 (unchanged since the March 2019 fee notification):
| Work | Fee |
|---|---|
| Literary work (book, article, script) | Rs 2,000 |
| Computer programme or software | Rs 5,000 |
| Artistic work (painting, photo, drawing, architecture) | Rs 2,000 |
| Artistic work used with goods or services (logo, label) | Rs 6,000 |
| Cinematographic work (film, drama, animation, game) | Rs 10,000 |
| Record work (song or sound) | Rs 2,000 per song |
| Musical work with video | Rs 2,000 per song |
Other fees: Rs 3,000 to record an assignment of copyright (Form-III), Rs 6,000 to oppose someone else’s application, and Rs 300 per page for a certified copy. These are government fees only; a lawyer charges on top, but IPO says you don’t need one.
IPO also posts lists of copyright applications it has received as PDFs on its Copyright E-Journal page. The latest, for September 2026, went up on 7 October 2026.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 (the copy IPO publishes):
| Work | Copyright lasts until |
|---|---|
| Book, music, drama or artwork published in the author’s lifetime | 50 years after the year the author dies |
| Joint work | 50 years after the last surviving author dies |
| Film, sound recording or photograph | 50 years after the year it’s published |
| Anonymous or pen-name work | 50 years after the year it’s first published |
You don’t renew copyright. The term runs whether or not you register.
Section 66 of the Ordinance makes knowingly infringing copyright an offence, punishable with up to three years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 100,000, or both, in the copy IPO publishes. Section 60 also gives the owner civil remedies in court.
A registration certificate helps here: under section 42, courts take it as prima facie evidence that you own the copyright.
More guides: Company Setup, trademark search in Pakistan, patent registration in Pakistan, software export from Pakistan.
No. Copyright exists once a work is created in fixed form. Registration gives you a certificate that courts treat as prima facie evidence that you own the copyright.
As of October 2026: Rs 2,000 for a literary or artistic work or one song, Rs 5,000 for software, Rs 6,000 for artwork used with goods or services (such as a logo) and Rs 10,000 for a film, drama or game.
IPO's published average is about eleven months from filing to certificate: one week for the receipt, nine months for examination and two months for the certificate.
No. YouTube runs its own systems. Its Content ID is only for owners of a large body of original material uploaded often; anyone else can file a removal request in YouTube Studio. YouTube's help pages don't ask for a government registration.
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