Awareness of intellectual property, in particularly in regard to IP infringement, appears to be on the rise in Nepal, based on a review of local news publications.

In March 2026, a headline on the OnlineKhabar website noted that “Multinational companies allege trademark in infringement in Nepal.” The story, complete with a photo of bottles of Chiso Cola, Fantu, Maintain Dew and Strite sodas, said that the Department of Industry in Nepal was seeking clarification from 11 domestic companies after MNCs such as the Coca-Cola Company, Zoom Communications and Hugo Boss filed complaints alleging trademark infringement.

According to the Department of Industry, The Coca-Cola Company filed a complaint against Premier Organics Pvt. Ltd. of Sunsari for using the brand name “Palpal Cola,” and filed separate complaints against Pathibhara Food and Packaging Industry of Nepal for products branded “Kul Cola” and “Super Fantastic.”

Zoom Communications alleged trademark infringement against Kabish Marketing Pvt. Ltd. of Jhapa for its product “Kabish Zoom Cosmetics.” Germany’s Hugo Boss has filed a complaint against Imanur Fashion Wear Industries, also in Jhapa, for using the trademark “Boss.”

Turner Entertainment, known for platforms like Cartoon Network, has filed complaints against Naulo Foods Industries in Chitwan for “Kingcorn Lottery” and Pavitra Laxmi Food Products in Bhaktapur for “Jerry’s Cone.” Energy Brands has filed complaints against Aqua Nepal Bisleri in Rupandehi for “ANBS Good Drinks” and Manohara Food and Beverage in Kathmandu for “DG Smart H2O.”

OnlineKhabar reports that, “in recent years, while intellectual property awareness has been growing in Nepal, there has also been a rising trend of producing and selling goods locally using names similar to established foreign brands.”

In July 2026, the Ratopati website reported that the number of people filing complaints for the protection and security of intellectual property is increasing. “Companies and individuals are increasingly approaching the court as well as the Department of Industry, claiming their creations have been stolen and seeking copyright protection,” the publication says.

The website reported that Additional Secretary of the Department of Industry Shreekrishna Poudel said that 571 complaints were registered at the department by June 26 of the current fiscal year, noting that decisions were made on 734 complaints, including those from previous years, within this fiscal year. Presenting data from the past five years at an interaction program held in Kathmandu, he said that the number of people filing complaints for copyright is increasing.

Poudel also said that the numbers of decisions that the government is issuing are improving. In Nepal’s fiscal year 2077/78, which corresponds generally to the years 2020 and 2021 on the Gregorian calendar, 170 out of 334 registered complaints were decided. In fiscal year 2079/80, 153 out of 300 complaints were resolved. Although the number of complaints increased to 524 in fiscal year 2080/81, decisions were made on only 111. Ratopati reported that Poudel said that, in fiscal year 2081/82, 386 complaints were registered, and decisions were made on 483 (including cases from the previous year).

By June 26 of the current fiscal year 2082/83, 571 complaints have been registered and 734 decisions have been made, Poudel said. “Recently, the trend of filing complaints against intellectual property theft with the department as well as the court has been increasing.”

Ratopati said that Poudel attributed delays in deciding on complaints are due to a lack of manpower and the process of gathering evidence.

It is against this backdrop that we bring you Nepal’s IP Experts, a list of 10 key intellectual property lawyers who will be key players in the future of IP in Nepal.

Most of the lawyers named to our list have multiple practice specialties. Many of them are litigators, while others concentrate on prosecution work or provide strategic advice.

All of them have something in common: they are experts in their fields and, in one way or another, they provide extra value for their clients. They are Asia IP’s Nepal IP Experts. – GREGORY GLASS

Nepal’s IP Experts is based solely on independent editorial research conducted by Asia IP. As part of this project, we turned to in-house counsel in Nepal, Asia and elsewhere around the world, as well as South Asia-focused partners at international law firms, and asked them to nominate private-practice lawyers including foreign legal consultants, advisers and counsel.

The final list reflects the nominations received combined with the input of the editorial team at Asia IP, which has more than 55 years of collective experience in researching and understanding Nepal’s legal market.

All private practice intellectual property lawyers in Nepal were eligible for inclusion in the nominations process; there were no fees or other requirements for inclusion in the process.

The names of our 10 IP Experts are published here. Each IP Expert was given the opportunity to include their biography and contact details in print and on our website, for which a fee was charged.