USPTO, Nepal’s Ministry for Industry, Commerce and Supplies ink MoU for bilateral cooperation in IP promotion
30 April 2024
Photo: Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, U.S. Department of Commerce
Undersecretary of the United States Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Kathi Vidal met with Nepal Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari at the Ministry of Commerce in Kathmandu on March 18, 2024, to discuss matters related to IP, trade and investment.
During the meeting, Vidal and Bhandari inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for bilateral cooperation in the promotion of IP in Nepal. The MoU is also seen to be instrumental in the development of Nepal’s Intellectual Property Protection Bureau.
Ram Chandra Subedi, Founding and Managing Partner, Apex Law Chamber, Kathmandu
Nepal’s business climate is less than enticing, with foreign investors wary about the lack of priority given to IP by the government. Trademark infringement cases are rising by 30 percent annually, and incidents of unauthorized use of IP have not been addressed. Furthermore, the Comprehensive Intellectual Property Bill has not been introduced in Parliament since its creation in 2019.
“It is really a good initiative. Certainly, a partnership with the USPTO helps to foster the IP regime in many aspects. I expect there will be consistency in collaboration to development and protection of IP in Nepal,” said Ram Chandra Subedi, founding and managing partner at Apex Law Chamber in Kathmandu.
“Basically, this collaboration will give us a positive impact in terms of understanding the importance of IP and formulating the policy and laws accordingly, which helps promote the economic growth of the country. This partnership may also give a positive impact on trade and investment in Nepal,” added Subedi.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
