I. General Overview
Area: About 147,000 square kilometers.
Population: Approximately 30.59 million (2023). Nepali is the national language, with English being the common language among the upper classes. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-caste, and multi-lingual country. Over 80% of residents are Hindu, 9% are Buddhist, and a small number of Muslims and other religions are also practiced.
The main economic data for the 2023/2024 fiscal year are as follows:
GDP: US$41.42 billion.
GDP per capita: US$1,434.
Currency name: Nepalese Rupee.
Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 130 rupees.
II. Treaty Membership
1. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention)
Accession: 2001
Bangladesh has not yet joined the Madrid Agreement or the Madrid Protocol, nor has it joined the Hague Agreement and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Therefore, trademarks, designs and patents in Bangladesh can only be applied for directly.
III. Trademark Application Procedure and Required Documents
1. Trademark Registrable Elements and Types
Elements that can be registered as trademarks in Nepal include: words, graphics, letters, numbers, color combinations, etc.
The types of trademarks that can be registered in Nepal include: trademarks for goods, service marks, collective marks, and certification marks.
2. Filing Routes
National filing (direct filing)
3. Required Documents
⦁ Applicant's name, address and nationality;
⦁ List of goods and/or services;
⦁ Clear representation of the mark;
⦁ Power of attorney;
⦁ To claim priority, a certified copy of the priority document and its English translation (sworn translation) need to be submitted.
4. Application Procedure and Timeline
Filing: the 12th edition of Nice Classification is adopted; multiple class applications are not allowed; the first-to- file principle is followed.
Examination: formal examination and substantive examination; 2-3 months.
Publication/Opposition: The opposition period is 90 days.
Registration: 10-12 months from filing to registration (if smooth).
5. Protection Period and Renewal
The validity period is 7 years from the date of registration and can be renewed for 7 years each time before expiration.
6. Assignment
Trademark assignment requires a power of attorney from the assignee, a notarized assignment agreement, and a trademark certificate, and the process takes approximately 6 months.
7. Chang of Name/Address
Trademark changes require a power of attorney, a notarized proof of change, and a trademark certificate, and the processing period is approximately 6 months.
8. Cancellation
Non-use Cancellation: If a trademark has not been used for one consecutive year, any interested party may file a cancellation request for the unused trademark.
IV. Trademark application statistics *:
A: Statistics on total trademark applications:
202 1:-
2022: -
2023: -
B: Statistics of trademark applications from China:
2021: -
2022: -
2023: -
