Technical understanding with legislative and litigation experience
Khursheed Khan & Associates helps inventors, research institutions, technology businesses, manufacturers and international counsel protect inventions and industrial designs in Pakistan. The work connects technical disclosure with the legal scope sought and the commercial purpose of protection.
The practice draws on founding partner Justice (Retd.) Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan’s mechanical-engineering background, patent-drafting training in Australia and experience in IP legislation and enforcement. His legislative work includes principal authorship of the Patents Rules, 2003 and participation in the amendment of Pakistan’s patent legislation.
That combination informs an approach attentive to the invention itself, the drafting record, examination issues and the questions that may arise when rights are licensed or enforced.
Patent services from disclosure to protection
Invention identification and patentability review
We work with inventors and technical teams to identify the proposed inventive contribution, supporting detail and available prior art. The review helps define the next investigative or drafting steps. Provide a technical description, relevant drawings, known references and all previous disclosure dates.
Specification and claim drafting
We prepare and review specifications, claims and drawings with attention to technical support, terminology and the intended scope. Inventor discussions can clarify alternative embodiments and practical examples. A useful disclosure explains how the invention works, not simply the commercial result it promises.
Pakistan applications and priority planning
We assist with direct Pakistan applications and assess any available Convention-priority claim against the filing history. Instructions should include the earliest application, applicant and inventor details, ownership records and all relevant dates. International filing plans must account separately for Pakistan’s filing route.
Examination reports and hearings
We analyse objections, cited material and the filed disclosure, and prepare responses and supported amendments. Corresponding foreign search reports can inform the work, while the response addresses the Pakistan application. Send the full examination history and deadline as early as possible.
Prior-art and freedom-to-operate coordination
We help define the scope of searches and technical reviews appropriate to the client’s question. Patentability and freedom to operate are separate enquiries. A product-specific assessment requires attention to relevant claims, territories, legal status and the intended activity, with specialist input where needed.
Ownership, recordals and maintenance
We assist with assignments, ownership updates and instructed maintenance work. Records should reflect changes in the applicant or owner and agreed responsibilities for fees and deadlines. Provide executed documents, filing numbers and the latest status and payment records.
Licensing and research commercialisation
We advise on the rights and documentation needed for development partnerships, licences and technology transfer. Terms can address existing technology, improvements, field of use, territory and revenue arrangements. The commercial plan should be supported by a clear chain of ownership.
Patent disputes and enforcement
We assess claims of infringement and challenges to rights, connecting the patent record with the relevant product or process and evidence. Technical expertise can be coordinated for disputed issues. The litigation strategy is developed around the applicable forum, legal grounds and commercial objective.
Industrial designs: protecting product appearance
Product appearance deserves its own protection assessment. Design work examines the visual features presented in the application and how they relate to the article and intended product range. Technical inventions and product appearance require distinct analysis, even when they concern the same product.
Design identification and filing strategy
We review the proposed article, its visual features, variations and launch plans. The assessment identifies the material needed for an application and any disclosure or priority issues requiring attention. Seek advice before publication, exhibition or commercial release.
Representations and application preparation
We assist with organising clear and consistent views and the supporting applicant, designer and ownership information. The representations should accurately show the design for which protection is sought. Differences between views or proposed variants should be resolved before filing.
Examination and portfolio administration
We assist with objections, correspondence and instructed maintenance or ownership updates. Product revisions should be reviewed rather than assumed to fall within an earlier registration. A design portfolio should remain aligned with what the business manufactures and sells.
Copying disputes and commercial use
We assess suspected copying, licensing questions and the supporting registration record. Authentic products, alleged copies and relevant dated materials help define the issue. Advice distinguishes the design claim from any trade mark, copyright or contractual concern.
Pakistan and international filing plans
Pakistan is a party to the Paris Convention but is not a contracting state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). A PCT application therefore does not provide a Pakistan national-phase entry route. Pakistan protection requires its own national filing strategy, with any available priority assessed against the relevant history and deadlines.
For protection elsewhere, we coordinate with appropriately qualified overseas advisers on national, regional or PCT routes where available. The territories, applicant eligibility, budget and commercial plans should be considered together.
Protection aligned with the business
We help clients decide which developments warrant further protection work and how a portfolio supports manufacturing, licensing, investment or expansion. The review can distinguish commercially important assets from filings that no longer match the business plan.
For research and development teams, clear invention records, confidentiality practices and ownership arrangements support later drafting and commercialisation. For investors or transaction teams, a scoped review can identify status, ownership and documentation questions requiring resolution.
A practical working process
- Identify the invention or design, contributors, owner and disclosure history.
- Agree the technical review, search scope, target markets and commercial priorities.
- Prepare or review the specification, claims, representations and formal documents.
- Confirm instructions and the relevant filing route and deadlines.
- Manage examination correspondence and any required response or hearing.
- Maintain the rights within the agreed mandate and review commercialisation or dispute needs.
Preparing the technical record
- Technical disclosure, drawings, examples and known prior art for inventions
- Consistent views, product details and variants for designs
- Inventor, designer and applicant particulars
- Assignments, employment or research agreements relevant to ownership
- All earlier applications, priority documents and disclosure dates
- Examination reports, cited references and correspondence
- Target markets, planned launch dates and commercial objectives
- Current status and fee records for an existing portfolio
Begin with a brief confidential enquiry. Detailed unpublished technical material can then be provided through an agreed method.
Frequently asked questions
Can a PCT application enter Pakistan?
No. Pakistan is not a PCT contracting state. A separate Pakistan application is required, with any available Convention priority assessed against the filing history and applicable deadline.
Does patentability establish freedom to operate?
No. Patentability concerns protection for an invention. Freedom to operate concerns potential exposure to relevant third-party rights for the proposed activity and requires its own scope.
Should we disclose before obtaining advice?
Disclosure history can materially affect protection. Identify any proposed publication, sale, exhibition or presentation before proceeding so that the filing implications can be reviewed.
Can the same product involve patents and designs?
Yes. Technical features and visual appearance can raise distinct protection questions. Each proposed right should be assessed separately.
Can you review a foreign-drafted application?
Yes. Provide the full specification, claims, drawings and prosecution record so that the scope of Pakistan filing or prosecution work can be assessed.
Do you assist with enforcement after registration or grant?
Yes. The firm can assess suspected infringement or challenges to rights, with technical input and representation arranged for the appropriate forum.