Intellectual Property Rights and Creative Industries in Pakistan: Evidence from Copyright and Patent Protection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59926/jodprp.vol10/2026/8Keywords:
IP Rights, Creative Economy, Copyrights, Patents, Pakistan, IndustryAbstract
Intellectual property (IP) rights play an important role in enhancing innovation, creativity, and knowledge-based economic growth. This study examines whether the protection of copyright and patents in Pakistan is associated, over the long run, with the performance of industries comprising the country’s creative economy. The paper combines doctrinal analysis of the Copyright Ordinance 1962, the Patents Ordinance 2000, and Pakistan’s obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) with an econometric assessment based on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach, a methodology well suited to relatively small annual samples and to variables that settle into a stable pattern at different speeds. Model 1 in this paper examines the contribution of copyright-based export categories to Pakistan’s total export receipts between 2002 and 2021. Model 2 explores the determinants of resident patent registrations between 1990 and 2021, using exports, GDP growth, manufacturing and services, and the tax-to-GDP ratio. The bounds tests confirm that the relationships are stable over the long run rather than coincidental. The results further indicate that periodicals and printed books, printing and related machinery, embroidery, and wooden articles had a positive and statistical association with export levels. GDP growth, exports, and lagged manufacturing were also identified as significant determinants of resident registrations, whereas the contemporaneous manufacturing share, services, and the tax-to-GDP ratio were not statistically significant. The error-correction estimate suggests that about half of any disequilibrium is corrected within a year. The findings suggest that the effective enforcement of copyright and patent law in Pakistan is better understood as an instrument of industrial development rather than merely as the fulfilment of an external treaty obligation.
JEL Classification Codes: O34, O38, Z11, O53, O31, L82
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgement: The views and opinions are those of the authors and do not represent the views of any institution.
AI Declaration/Use of Generative AI: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used Quillbot to refine the language. Following the use of this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and revised the manuscript as necessary and take full responsibility for the final published work.
Funding: No
Article History
Submitted: 7 Dec. 2026; Last Revised: 11 July 2026; Accepted: 15 Sep. 2026
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