How Do I Check If a Trademark Is Registered?

To check whether a trademark is registered in Nepal, run a trademark search in three places: IP Sewa's free database of marks published in Department of Industry (DoI) bulletins, the bulletin itself, and the DoI, which alone confirms registration. A published mark is not always a registered one, so the last step matters.

Key takeaways

• The Department of Industry (DoI) keeps Nepal's trademark register and is the only body that can confirm a mark is registered.
• IP Sewa's trademark search covers more than 71,500 trademarks published in DoI bulletins. It shows published marks, not registration status.
• Nepal is first-to-file: the earlier valid application usually wins, so search early and file soon after a clear result.
• Search every NICE class you will trade in. One Nepal application covers one class.
• A registration lasts seven years and is renewable, so an old certificate does not prove a mark is still in force today.
• A company name registered with the Office of the Company Registrar is not a trademark.

Where can you run a trademark search in Nepal?

A useful trademark search in Nepal uses three sources, because each one answers a different question. The first is fast and free, the second shows the official notice as printed, and the third is the only one that confirms registration.

What does IP Sewa's trademark search show, and what does it miss?

IP Sewa reads every Industrial Property Bulletin the DoI publishes and turns each entry into a searchable record. It is the quickest free Nepal trademark search for a first check: search by mark name, owner or class, without an account. For a known owner, the owner and applicant search lists every published mark in that name.

Each result is a mark the DoI has examined and published. That is useful evidence, because it tells you someone has claimed the name for particular goods or services.

Be clear about the limits, though. The database does not show whether a published mark later received its certificate, was renewed, or was cancelled. It also cannot show applications still waiting for examination, because those are not published yet. So a result means "published", not "registered", and a blank screen does not mean "free".

How do you read a trademark search result?

Each result mirrors the entry the DoI printed in the bulletin, so read every field and not just the name.

• Applicant. The owner's name and address, including the country. One company can appear under several address spellings.
• Mark name and type. Bulletins mark whether an entry is a word mark, a logo only, or words with a logo. A logo-only mark has no name to match, so look at the image.
• Application number. The DoI's reference for the filing. Quote it when you ask the DoI about status.
• Filing date. Printed in the Bikram Sambat calendar. It shows who filed first, which matters in a first-to-file system.
• NICE class and goods or services. These set the scope. A clash in the same class for the same goods is the most serious warning.

Also note the bulletin issue and its publication date. The 90-day opposition window runs from that date, not from the day you found the entry.

How do you do a trademark search in Nepal step by step?

Work from your own brand outwards. The aim is to find anything a customer could confuse with your name, not only exact copies of it.

1. Write the mark exactly as you will use it. Separate the core name from slogans, descriptive words and the logo.
2. List your goods and services. Map each to a class with the NICE class finder. Include products you plan to sell soon.
3. Search exact and close variants. Try other spellings, spacing, plurals, sound-alikes and a Nepali-script version. The trademark conflict checker helps with near matches.
4. Check recent bulletins. New issues appear regularly, so a very recent publication may be worth checking in the DoI's own PDF.
5. Confirm with the DoI. For any close result, ask whether the mark is registered and in force. The DoI offers an official trademark search.
6. Record what you found. Keep the application numbers, classes and dates for later.

Is a published trademark the same as a registered one?

No. A Nepali trademark passes through several stages, and the bulletin sits in the middle. First the owner files at the DoI, which examines the mark and, if it qualifies, publishes it in the Industrial Property Bulletin. Under Sec. 16 of the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965, title to a trademark comes only with registration.

Publication opens a 90-day opposition window: anyone may object within 90 days of the bulletin date. If no objection succeeds, the applicant pays the registration fee and receives a certificate. Only then is the mark registered, and only then may the owner use the ® symbol.

The whole route typically takes about 12–14 months when nobody opposes. The smoothest cases can finish in 6–8 months, while an opposition adds more time.

How do you confirm a mark is registered and still in force?

The strongest proof is the DoI's registration certificate, backed by the DoI's own record. If you are buying a brand, licensing one, or answering a claim, ask the owner for the certificate and check the details against the register.

Check these points:

• The registration date. A trademark lasts seven years from registration and is renewable for further seven-year terms, any number of times.
• Renewal. Renewal is due within 35 days of expiry, and a six-month late window follows on payment of a fine. After that, the registration is cancelled automatically.
• Use. Under Sec. 18C of the Act, the DoI may cancel a registered mark that is not used within one year of registration.
• Ownership. A registered mark can be assigned, and the transfer is recorded in the register, so the current owner may not be the original applicant.

If you hold a mark yourself, keep all your renewal dates on one calendar. Our trademark renewal service tracks each class for you. For a quick date check, use the application-number lookup.

Which NICE classes should your trademark search cover?

Nepal uses the NICE Classification: 45 classes, with Classes 1–34 for goods and 35–45 for services. Sec. 18A of the Act requires a separate application for each class, so a brand that sells in three classes needs three filings.

Search every class you trade in, plus related ones. A café usually falls in Class 43, while its packaged coffee sits in Class 30. Clothing is Class 25, and retail or advertising often points to Class 35. The same name can sit safely in two unrelated classes. It can also clash across classes when the goods reach the same customers.

To see what is already crowded in your field, browse with search by NICE class. It helps you spot a crowded word, such as "Himalayan" in the food and drink classes, before you build a brand on it.

What should you do with your search result?

A search reduces risk, but it does not decide your application. Under Sec. 18, the DoI can refuse a mark that is already registered in another person's name or that damages the goodwill of another mark.

If the result is close, a written opinion is worth having before you print anything. Our trademark search and clearance service compares sound, look, meaning and the goods involved. If the result is clear, move to trademark registration without delay. The DoI's checklist asks for the application form, four specimens of the mark no larger than 8 × 8 cm, business registration and PAN or VAT papers, and a power of attorney if an agent files for you. Sec. 17 of the Act sets the application rules.

If you find a newly published mark that copies yours, the 90-day window matters. Our opposition team can assess whether to object.

Common mistakes

• Reading "published" as "registered". A published mark may still be opposed, or may never have received a certificate.
• Treating no result as a green light. Unpublished applications do not appear anywhere public, and an earlier filing can still block you.
• Searching one spelling only. Sound-alikes and small spelling changes cause most real conflicts.
• Relying on company registration. The Office of the Company Registrar records companies, but it does not register trademarks.
• Checking only words. A text search cannot compare logos well, so look at the printed images of close results.
• Assuming a foreign registration covers Nepal. Nepal is not in the Madrid System, so a mark must be filed nationally at the DoI through a local agent. Paris Convention priority may help with timing.

An example: checking a coffee brand

Here is an illustration, not a real case. A Lalitpur founder plans "Himal Brew" for a café and for bags of coffee beans. She searches only Class 43 and finds nothing, then searches Class 30 and finds a published "Himal Brews" for packaged coffee, filed by another company.

The published entry does not tell her whether that mark was registered. She asks the DoI, which confirms the mark is on the register. Because coffee and a coffee shop can reach the same customers, so she changes her name before ordering cups and signs. She then files for both classes on the same day.

In short

A trademark search in Nepal starts with the free database of published marks and the latest bulletins. It ends at the DoI, which is the only source that confirms registration and renewal. Search every class you need, look for sound-alikes, and file quickly once the path is clear.

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The DoI publishes its filing checklists on its Industrial Property Section page. Start with a free trademark search, and if a result looks close, send us the name and your goods or services for a clearance review.