Nepal still runs its trademark system under the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 2022 (1965), administered by the Industrial Property Section of the Department of Industry (DOI) in Tripureshwor. Registration is not compulsory, but an unregistered mark gives you very little to work with when a competitor starts using a similar name. Registration takes roughly a year, costs less than most people expect, and gives you a seven-year renewable right that customs and the courts will enforce.
Start with a search
Before you spend money on a filing, search the DOI's trademark register and the Industrial Property Bulletin for marks that look or sound like yours in the same class. The register is not fully searchable online, so we usually conduct a manual search at the DOI and supplement it with an OCR company-name search and a domain check. If a similar mark exists in your class, it is far cheaper to adjust the brand now than to lose an opposition after you have printed packaging.
Classes and what to file
Nepal follows the Nice Classification, with 34 classes of goods and 11 of services, and a separate application is needed for each class. A restaurant, for example, usually files in Class 43 for food services and Class 30 or 32 if it sells packaged products. The application must include a clear representation of the mark, the list of goods or services, and for foreign applicants a home-country registration certificate, since Nepal requires foreign marks to be registered abroad first.
- Application in the prescribed form with four copies of the mark
- Company registration certificate or citizenship of the applicant
- Power of attorney if filed through an agent
- Home-country registration certificate, notarised, for foreign applicants
- Payment of the filing fee for each class
| Stage | Typical duration | Government fee (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Filing and formal examination | 1 to 2 months | NPR 1,000 per class |
| Substantive examination | 3 to 6 months | Included |
| Publication in IP Bulletin and 90-day opposition window | 3 to 4 months | Included |
| Registration certificate | 1 month after opposition period | NPR 5,000 per class |
| Renewal (every 7 years) | File before expiry | NPR 500 per class |
Publication, opposition and registration
Once the examiner is satisfied that the mark is distinctive and does not conflict with an existing registration, it is published in the Industrial Property Bulletin. Anyone may file an opposition within 90 days of publication, and the DOI hears both sides before deciding. If no opposition is filed, or the opposition fails, the DOI issues the registration certificate and the mark is protected from the date of filing.
Enforcing your mark
With a certificate in hand you can file a complaint at the DOI, which has power to fine infringers and confiscate goods, or bring a civil claim in the District Court for damages and an injunction. Customs can also be asked to detain counterfeit imports at the border. In practice a cease-and-desist letter attaching the registration certificate resolves most disputes without a hearing.