Controversy Over Pakistan's Patent Regime Continues

Pharmaceutical industry groups in Pakistan have renewed their criticism of the 2002 Patents Amendment Ordinance, which they claim dilutes the effectiveness of patent protection terms in the country's 2000 Patents Ordinance.

Since Pakistan's adoption of TRIPS standards, the government has issued five intellectual property laws including the 2000 legislation. Naturally, the low-cost local manufacturing sector has welcomed the greater flexibility of the 2002 amendment, but multinational criticism has focused on its ambiguities and poor enforcement of regulatory standards. With some Pakistani firms already investing in new production assets in neighbouring Bangladesh, which has until 2016 to adopt TRIPS, meetings in the coming weeks between the government and the multinational sector are likely to be less than cordial.