Pakistan Names and Emblems (Prevention of Unauthorized Use) Act, 1957

This 1957 Act prevents the unauthorised commercial or other use of certain protected names and emblems -- most notably the name of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Pakistan flag, official government seals and emblems, and the names/emblems of certain international organisations (the United Nations, World Health Organisation, World Meteorological Organisation, International Civil Aviation Organisation, and International Atomic Energy Agency), all listed in the Act's Schedule. Section 2 defines "emblem" and "name" by reference to that Schedule, and ties "design," "patent" and "trade-mark" definitions to the Patents and Designs Act, 1911 and Trade Marks Act, 1940.

Section 3 is the core prohibition: no one may use, or continue using, a protected name or emblem in a trade-mark, design, patent title, or for any trade, business, calling, profession, or other purpose -- without prior written permission from the Prime Minister (originally the relevant government authority) or an authorised officer, and subject to any conditions imposed. Violating this carries a fine, which the extract shows was updated by a later amendment to up to fifty thousand rupees (the original, older figure appears to have been much lower before that amendment).

Section 4 separately bars any "competent authority" (the body that registers trade-marks, designs, companies, firms, or grants patents) from registering a trade-mark or design bearing a protected emblem, registering a company or firm bearing a protected name, or granting a patent whose title bears a protected name -- regardless of any other law. If there's doubt about whether something bears a protected emblem, the matter goes to the Prime Minister for a final decision.

Section 5 lets the Federal Government amend the Schedule to add, alter or remove protected names and emblems. Section 6 requires prior sanction from the Prime Minister (or an authorised officer) before anyone can be prosecuted under the Act. Section 7 clarifies the Act adds to, rather than replaces, other applicable laws. Section 8 gives rule-making power, with rule violations punishable by a fine up to two hundred rupees.

Note: the extract shows recent-looking amendment dates (2026) updating the authority from an earlier officeholder to the "Prime Minister" and raising the fine to fifty thousand rupees -- these figures reflect the current text as extracted, but given the Act's long amendment history, the current official text should still be checked to confirm the exact authority and fine amount in force.