Before Covid, Kathmandu was a mecca for the world’s backpackers. Thousands of 20somethings with their well-worn copies of the Lonely Planet guidebook descended on the city for a multitude of reasons: whether it was to see Mt. Everest up close, to buy provisions before heading out on a track, to eat well in Thamel or to get high on Freak Street, Kathmandu and, by extension, Nepal, was one of those places that provided you with many fond memories in later life. But it never had enough going on so that you could persuade your boss that there was a good business reason for him to send you back, unless you happen to write for a trekking magazine.  

Until, perhaps, now.  

In November 2022, Nepalis turned out in droves – more than 60 percent are reported to have voted – amidst growing calls to change a government that many believe fumbled the economy during Covid-19. Ultimately, the former leader of a decade-long Maoist rebellion was elected prime minister by the country’s Parliament – for the third time in 14 years. The former rebellion leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, 68, defeated Sher Bahadur Deuba, 76, who sought a sixth term as prime minister. The New York Times reported in December 2022 that many Nepali voters reacted to Dahal’s swearing in “with a note of despair,” quoting a businessman from Lalitpur as saying “No excitement. He was already elected prime minister twice but did nothing for us.” 

But, as the businessman noted, the election did bring about changes to the government in the form of new ministers, and media reports from 2023 suggest that change may in the works. 

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said in August that Nepal is eager to collaborate with the international community for the development of communication and information technology in the country. Sharma made her remarks during a meeting with South Korea’s ambassador to Nepal, saying that the government has announced that it is now investing 1 percent of the country’s annual capital budget in the research and innovation sector, and has plans to set up a cyber security centre, as well.  

“Nepal would make a big leap in the information technology sector by expanding the internet to all the wards at local levels across the country,” she said. 

For his part, Dahal said on a trip to Beijing that he has a “dream of transforming Nepal into a digital Nepal,” inviting Chinese investors to invest in the IT sector in Nepal, which he noted is still in its infancy. 

It is against this optimistic backdrop that we bring you Nepal’s IP Experts, a list of 10 key intellectual property lawyers who almost certainly be involved 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 editorial team at Asia IP, which has nearly 45 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 any 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.