By definition, copyright consists of a set of exclusive rights granted to a person for a limited period to protect an idea or a way of expressing it. The law covers literary and artistic works, music, films, paintings, sculptures, computer programs, and databases. The right to copy is the moral and economic right of the author/writer, publisher, performer, and producer.

In 1962, the Copyright Ordinance was modeled after the Copyright Act of 1914. To ensure proper implementation of the ordinance, the Copyright Rules 1967 were drafted. With the passage of the Copyright (Amendment) Act 1992 and the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2000, significant changes were made to the ordinance.

It is important to note here that Pakistan is a member of both the Berne Copyright Union as well as the Universal Copyright Convention. In accordance with Section 54 of the International Copyright Order 1968, the provisions of the ordinance that apply exclusively to Pakistani works also apply to works first published in countries that are members of either convention, meaning that these works have exactly the same protections as locally-produced works in Pakistan.

Therefore, any copyright existing in a member country is protected in Pakistan. Additionally, Pakistan is a member of the TRIPS accord, which incorporates provisions of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.

Under the ordinance, the following types of work are protected: 

1. Literary works 
2. Dramatic works; 
3. Musical works; 
4. Artistic works, including drawings, maps, photographs, and architectural works; 
5. Cinematographic works and 
6. Records. 

There was an amendment to the definition of “literary work” in 1992 that included computer programs.