From intellectual assets to strategic strength
Khursheed Khan & Associates advises companies, public institutions, industry organisations, universities and governments on identifying, protecting and commercialising intellectual assets. Assignments can span multiple countries and jurisdictions, with local expertise engaged where required.
For an enterprise, the objective is to connect its IP portfolio to its products, revenue and future plans. For an economy, the objective is to develop intellectual capital as a source of national value: knowledge, innovation, brands, design, technology and creative output that can support investment and export income.
National and sectoral IP strategies
We assist governments and institutions in defining priorities for a knowledge-based economy. Work can map local capabilities, research strengths, creative industries and distinctive products, then connect them to protection, commercialisation, skills and institutional development. The output is a practical roadmap with responsibilities and measurable milestones.
Enterprise IP strategy
We align IP decisions with the organisation’s business model, competitive position and expansion plans. The review considers what should be protected, where protection matters, what can be licensed and which risks need attention. Priorities are sequenced to reflect budgets and commercial importance.
Portfolio audits and protection-gap reviews
We examine registered rights, pending applications, ownership records, agreements and internal practices. The audit identifies gaps, overlaps, unused rights, missing documentation and matters requiring action. A portfolio should support the business rather than simply accumulate registrations.
Discovery of overlooked IP assets
Interviews with technical, creative, operational and commercial teams can reveal assets that do not appear in an existing IP register. These may include product improvements, designs, software, original content, confidential processes and accumulated know-how. Each candidate is assessed for ownership, protection options and commercial relevance.
Commercialisation and technology transfer
We help organisations plan licensing, collaboration, research commercialisation and brand expansion. The work connects rights ownership with the intended transaction and addresses matters such as permitted use, territory, development responsibilities and revenue arrangements. Specialist financial input can be coordinated where valuation is needed.
Multi-jurisdiction portfolio planning
We help coordinate protection priorities across target markets, manufacturing locations and distribution channels. The strategy considers business exposure, local requirements and the role of local counsel. A portfolio audit does not by itself establish freedom to operate; that requires a separately scoped assessment.
IP governance and an organisational “firewall”
We develop policies and practical controls for ownership, confidentiality, access, approvals and third-party use. The “firewall” is a coordinated system of legal and operational safeguards around valuable assets. It helps manage exposure but does not guarantee immunity from infringement, disclosure or dispute.
Training and institutional capability
We deliver tailored workshops for boards, management, in-house counsel, researchers, creative teams and public institutions. Programmes use the organisation’s working context to explain asset identification, ownership, disclosure, licensing and escalation. The goal is to make informed IP decisions part of everyday practice.
Intellectual capital at the centre of economic development
A knowledge-based economy draws value from ideas, expertise, research, reputation and creativity as well as land, infrastructure and physical production. An IP strategy can help translate those intangible strengths into assets that enterprises can own, develop and bring to market.
We advise organisations and public institutions seeking to make intellectual property a core economic strength. The emphasis is on building locally owned value: stronger brands, protected innovation, viable creative businesses, effective research partnerships and commercial routes to wider markets.
Map distinctive strengths
Identify where a country, region or sector has knowledge, skills, products or cultural and creative capabilities that can support differentiated value.
Connect institutions to enterprise
Develop links between researchers, universities, industry, investors and public bodies so that promising work has a route to practical use and commercial adoption.
Enable value capture
Consider how ownership, contracts, licensing, branding and distribution allow local participants to retain a fair share of the value they create.
Build capability and measure progress
Agree indicators such as assets identified, ownership gaps resolved, commercial partnerships and licensing activity. Assess progress alongside skills, access to finance and market conditions.
Tapal Tea: identifying assets and strengthening the brand
The firm’s experience includes an IP strategy and audit project involving Tapal Tea. The work focused on identifying intellectual assets within the business, strengthening the local brand’s competitive positioning against leading international brands and developing a coordinated system of IP protection around the company.
This included the concept of an intellectual-property “firewall”: bringing asset identification, protection priorities and business practices into a coherent strategy. The experience illustrates how an audit can move beyond a list of registrations to uncover value and guide commercial development.
The project is described as part of the firm’s experience. Brand positioning is not presented as an independently measured equivalence in valuation, sales or market share with any international brand.
What an IP audit examines
- Trade marks, trading names, brand presentation, domains and market presence
- Inventions, technical improvements, designs, software and original content
- Confidential information, know-how and access controls
- Employment, consultancy, development and assignment documentation
- Licences, collaborations, distribution arrangements and third-party materials
- Registration status, renewals, territorial coverage and record accuracy
- Commercial use, licensing opportunities and potentially redundant rights
- Disputes, known concerns and matters requiring specialist investigation
The scope is agreed before the audit begins. Recommendations distinguish confirmed findings from questions requiring further records, searches or local advice.
Training shaped around the audience
Boards and senior management
IP as a business and economic asset; investment priorities; risk oversight; portfolio performance; and the questions leadership should ask before expansion or collaboration.
Research, engineering and creative teams
Recognising potentially valuable outputs; recording contributions; ownership and confidentiality; managing disclosure; and involving advisers before publication or release.
Legal, commercial and operational teams
Contract review, licences, brand use, documentation, supplier and consultant arrangements, renewal responsibilities and internal reporting.
Governments and public institutions
National and sectoral strategy, institutional coordination, research commercialisation, stakeholder engagement and the design of practical implementation programmes.
From discovery to implementation
- Agree the organisation or jurisdiction, business objectives, audit scope and confidentiality arrangements.
- Collect records and interview the teams responsible for creating and using intellectual assets.
- Map assets, ownership, existing protection and commercial relevance.
- Identify gaps, risks and opportunities, with further investigation clearly marked.
- Prepare a prioritised strategy, action register and allocation of responsibilities.
- Support the agreed protection, contracting, commercialisation and training work.
- Review progress and update the strategy as the organisation or market changes.
Depending on the mandate, deliverables may include an asset inventory, portfolio map, gap analysis, action plan, draft policies, training materials and a monitoring framework.
Information for an initial discussion
- Organisation, industry, countries of operation and intended expansion
- Business plan or national or sectoral development objectives
- Existing IP register, applications, registrations and renewal records
- Product, technology, research and creative-output summaries
- Key employment, development, ownership and licence agreements
- Current policies, known disputes and areas of concern
- Preferred deliverables, training audience, timetable and budget parameters
Frequently asked questions
Is this service available beyond Pakistan?
Yes. We scope assignments for organisations and institutions operating across countries and economies, coordinating local counsel and other specialists where the work requires jurisdiction-specific advice.
Can an audit uncover assets that are not registered?
Yes. The review can identify overlooked know-how, creative output, software, designs and technical developments. Identification does not automatically establish legal protection or ownership; those questions are assessed separately.
Is an IP audit a financial valuation?
No. An audit identifies and assesses assets, records and protection issues. A formal financial valuation requires its own scope, methodology and appropriate expertise.
Does an IP firewall guarantee protection?
No. The term describes a coordinated set of safeguards, policies and rights-management practices. Its purpose is to strengthen the organisation’s position and reduce avoidable exposure.
Can training follow an audit?
Yes. Findings can inform workshops, internal procedures and role-specific guidance so that teams can implement the agreed recommendations.