Trademark Class 18 in Nepal — Leather & Bags (What It Covers & How to File)

A Class 18 trademark in Nepal protects a brand for leather and imitation leather, luggage and carrying bags, umbrellas, walking sticks, saddlery, and collars, leashes and clothing for animals. It does not cover leather clothing, cases built for one product, or the shop that sells them. IP Sewa's index holds 596 published Class 18 marks.

Key takeaways

• The current NICE classification heading names luggage and carrying bags, umbrellas, walking sticks, saddlery and pet collars, leashes and clothing.
• Leather jackets and clothing belts are Class 25, watch straps Class 14, laptop bags Class 9.
• Our index holds 596 published Class 18 marks; 68 were published in 2025, against 31 in 2021.
• Only about one Class 18 mark in five has a Nepali owner address, against six in ten across all classes.
• Most Class 18 owners also hold Class 25: 211 of 359.
• Sec. 18A(2) of the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act 1965 requires a separate application for each class.
• A registration lasts seven years from the registration date and is renewable any number of times.

What does a Class 18 trademark cover in Nepal?

WIPO's current list, the 13th edition (version 2026), gives the heading as leather and imitations of leather; animal skins and hides; luggage and carrying bags; umbrellas and parasols; walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery; collars, leashes and clothing for animals.

Older checklists still use earlier wording such as "trunks and travelling bags". Quote the class from the current list on WIPO's Nice Classification page, not from an old form.

Nepal applies the list because Sec. 18A(1) of the Act, published by the Nepal Law Commission, lets the government classify goods and services by Nepal Gazette notice. The class number is a first filter; the goods you name decide the scope.

Which bags stay in Class 18, and which leave it?

General carrying bags stay. WIPO lists handbags, rucksacks and backpacks, school bags, travelling bags, suitcases with wheels, pocket wallets, credit card cases, key cases and reusable shopping bags. Smart suitcases stay too: the electronics do not change what a suitcase is for.

A bag built for one product follows that product. Bags adapted for laptops and camera cases are Class 9, cases for musical instruments are Class 15, and golf, cricket, ski and surfboard bags are Class 28.

Where is the line with Classes 25 and 14?

Function beats material. Clothing, footwear and headwear of leather for people are Class 25, and so are leather belts for clothing and money belts. Our Class 25 guide covers that side.

Class 14 takes watch straps, jewellery boxes and jewellery rolls. A workshop making wallets, belts and watch straps touches three classes with one material; the Class 14 guide sets out the jewellery line.

Do umbrellas, trekking poles and pet gear belong here?

Hand-held umbrellas and parasols do, as small portable goods for protection against weather. Patio umbrellas are Class 22, and walking sticks or canes for medical purposes are Class 10.

For Nepal's trekking trade, the list names hiking or trekking sticks, mountaineering sticks, bags for climbers and bags for campers, all in Class 18. Nordic walking poles were added in the 2026 version.

Collars, leashes and clothing for pets are Class 18. Pet food, grooming products and veterinary goods are not, so a full pet range needs more than one class.

Does Class 18 cover a bag shop or an online store?

No. Class 18 covers goods. WIPO's Class 35 note treats bringing goods together so customers can view and buy them, in a store or on a website, as a service. A brand that makes and sells its own bags may need both; see the Class 35 guide.

Test anything unusual with the NICE class finder and the goods and services search.

How many Class 18 marks has Nepal published?

Across 123 Industrial Property Bulletin issues, from January 2006 to 16 October 2026, our index holds 596 published Class 18 entries. That is 0.8% of 71,842 marks, 31st of the 45 classes, just ahead of jewellery (Class 14) with 592.

The class is growing. In the 12 latest issues it took 111 of 9,652 entries, 1.2%, above its long-run share; Nepali owners are a rising part of it.

These are IP Sewa counts of published Bulletin entries, not official Department of Industry statistics, and they show no registration status. Browse the class with search by NICE class.

Who owns Class 18 marks in Nepal?

Mostly foreign businesses. Counted by the country in each owner's printed address, 127 of the 596 marks (21%) have a Nepali address. Across all classes the share is about 60%.

China follows closely with 108, then the United States with 74, Japan 44, India 43 and France 41. Owners come from 31 countries in all.

Inside Nepal, filers cluster in two places. Matching each Nepali address for a Kathmandu valley place name (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur or a municipality inside them) gives 87 of the 127. Matching Parsa or Birgunj gives 22, almost all bag and umbrella (chhata) workshops.

Which companies hold the most Class 18 marks?

Grouping owner names so address spellings count once, 359 owners hold the 596 marks, and 245 of them hold just one. Decathlon of France leads with 18, then ITC Limited of India with 13.

The leading Nepali company is Bonds Krafter Pvt. Ltd. of Kathmandu with 10, filed under two spellings of its name, followed by Bagmati Chhata Udhyog Pvt. Ltd. of Birgunj with 7. Clothing houses such as The H. D. Lee Company (8) and Hugo Boss (7) file here for accessories. Look up a rival with the owner search.

What else do Class 18 owners file?

Of the 359 owners, 255 hold a mark in at least one other class. Class 25 leads by far with 211 owners, then Class 35 (120), Class 9 (93), Class 28 (77) and Class 14 (74).

Nepali owners differ: only 26 of 78 hold another class, and 20 of those chose Class 25. Most local bag makers file once and stop, leaving the shop, the clothing line and the laptop sleeve open to others.

What makes a bag or leather brand name strong?

One that tells buyers who made the bag, not what it is. Only eight of the 596 Class 18 names contain "bag", "leather", "luggage", "travel" or "Nepal"; owners mostly pick invented or unrelated words.

The Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act 1965 never uses the word "distinctive". Sec. 18 lets the Department refuse a mark already registered to someone else, or one that harms another mark's reputation, public morality or the national interest. Even if it passes examination, a name like "Pure Leather Bags" gives you little to stop a rival using the same words.

Logos matter here. Of the 596 marks, 294 combine a word and a label, 231 are words only and 71 labels only; Nepali owners lean on combined marks (95 of 127).

How should you word Class 18 goods?

Name products in the words WIPO uses: handbags, rucksacks, travelling bags, suitcases with wheels, pocket wallets, credit card cases, umbrellas or collars for animals. Avoid "leather goods" or "bags" alone, which hide what you actually sell.

"Vegan leather" and "mycelium-based imitation leather" are now listed Class 18 items, but they name materials, so name the finished goods as well. Our guide to writing a goods and services description covers the drafting, and goods versus services explains why a bag and a bag shop are different filings.

Why file before you export or list online?

Title comes from registration under Sec. 16, and the first-to-file principle generally applies. A marketplace listing or trade-fair sample shows your name to anyone who could file it first.

Borders cut both ways. Under Sec. 21B a foreign registration has no force in Nepal until registered here, and a Nepali registration does not protect you abroad. Nepal is outside the Madrid System, so each export market needs its own filing.

IP Sewa files in Nepal only. Filings abroad go through representatives authorised in that country.

How do you file a Class 18 trademark in Nepal?

Filing happens at the Department of Industry, one class at a time:

1. Search the name and logo. Start with the published trademark search and the conflict checker; a blank result is not clearance.
2. Map the range to classes. Bags and umbrellas are 18; sleeves, clothing, straps and a shop go elsewhere, each a separate Sec. 18A filing.
3. Write the goods list. Name the products you sell, in published wording.
4. File the application. Sec. 17 asks for the prescribed form with four specimens of the mark, plus a power of attorney where an agent files.
5. Answer examination. Under Sec. 18(1) the Department investigates and gives you a chance to be heard.
6. Watch the Bulletin. The opposition window runs 90 days from publication, counting the publication day as day one; act before the deadline the Department states.
7. Collect the registration certificate. Once the registration fee is paid, the Department issues it (Sec. 18(2)).

Over the 12 latest issues, our records show a median filing-to-publication gap of about 3.5 months (about three for Class 18), though one mark in six waits over two years. An unopposed trademark typically takes about 12 to 14 months to certificate, 6 to 8 only in the smoothest cases. Our trademark registration service runs each stage, and the Department of Industry publishes the current document checklist.

How long does a Class 18 registration last?

Seven years from registration under Sec. 18D, and the mark is renewable any number of times, seven years at a time, under Sec. 23B. Renew within 35 days after expiry; a six-month late window follows on a fine, after which the registration is cancelled automatically.

Under Sec. 18C, a mark not used within one year of registration can be cancelled after inquiry, so plan the launch around it. The renewal calculator works out the dates.

Common mistakes

• Filing every leather product in Class 18. Jackets, clothing belts and watch straps go elsewhere.
• Filing a laptop sleeve as a bag. Cases built for one product follow that product.
• Writing "leather goods" or "bags" as the whole list. Name the actual range.
• Assuming Class 18 covers the shop. Retail is Class 35.
• Choosing a name that describes the bag. You cannot stop others using ordinary words.
• Listing online before filing. A company registration or a marketplace page gives no trademark right.

What does a three-class bag brand look like?

This is an illustration, not a real case. "Himkosh", a Birgunj workshop, makes umbrellas and school bags, plans leather laptop sleeves, wants to sell through its own website and hopes to ship to India.

The umbrellas and school bags share one Class 18 application. The laptop sleeves are Class 9 and the web store is a Class 35 service, so the name needs three Nepal filings. India needs its own application through a representative there.

Filing all three before the website goes live avoids the commonest gap here: owning the bag but not the shop.

In short

Class 18 is leather, luggage, carrying bags, umbrellas, walking sticks, saddlery and pet gear. Clothing is 25, watch straps 14, laptop bags 9 and the shop 35.

It is a small, mostly foreign-owned class that Nepali makers are entering again. Search first, pick a name that does not describe the bag, and file before listing. For a written view on a name, our trademark search service weighs the conflicts.

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Selling bags, leather goods or umbrellas under one name? Contact IP Sewa and we will map your range to the right classes.