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Business Lobbies for Improved IP Protection
10 October 2012
Nepal’s private sector has urged the government to bring effective and strong laws to protect registered intellectual property, according to a report in Kathmandu’s Himalayan Times.
Speaking during a programme organized by Department of Industry in early November, senior vice president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar highlighted basic problems in intellectual property rights enforcement.
Rajkarnikar said that though the government has organized workshops regarding intellectual property, public awareness is very poor. “There is a lack of expertise,” he said, adding that legal provision is also inadequate, apart from weak organizational structure, the newspaper reported. He also suggested the government to raise public awareness to encourage commercially viable IP. “We need [a] comprehensive legal framework like [an] IP policy and [an] Integrated IPR Act. Legislation should address emerging issues as well as comply international agreement such as WTO Agreement and WIPO,” Rajkarnikar said.
General secretary of Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries Shyam Prasad Giri suggested involving the private sector for the enhancement of IP sector. “There must be public private partnership in this sector and the government should also involve the private sector for its enhancement,” said Giri, the newspaper reported.
“We have [an] old version of [the] Trade Mark Act, Industrial Design, Patent Right Act, which do not comply with international agreements and [are] insufficient for protection of the IP owner,” said Rajkarnikar.
