To register a hotel name in Nepal, file a trademark application with the Department of Industry (DoI) under the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965. Hotels usually need NICE Class 43, and an unopposed application typically takes about 12–14 months from filing to registration certificate.
Key Takeaways
Hotel trademark Nepal protection begins with a valid DoI application, not simply opening a property or using a name online. Under the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965, Nepal follows first-to-file rules, offers a seven-year renewable term, and requires a separate application for each NICE class.
- Nepal is first-to-file: the first valid applicant generally has the stronger statutory claim to a hotel name or logo.
- NICE Class 43 is central: it covers hotel, guesthouse, resort, restaurant and temporary accommodation services.
- One application covers one class: branded tea, packaged food, merchandise or travel services may need extra filings.
- The DoI process includes publication: accepted marks appear in the Industrial Property Bulletin before registration.
- The opposition period is 90 days: a third party may challenge the application after Bulletin publication.
- Registration lasts seven years: it can be renewed for further seven-year periods.
- A search before filing matters: a similar earlier hotel mark can delay, weaken or defeat your application.
Why should hotels register a trademark in Nepal?
Hotels should register their name and logo because the DoI gives rights to the first valid applicant under Sec. 16 and Sec. 18 of the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965. Registration provides a clearer legal basis to challenge unauthorised use of a confusing hotel brand.
Your hotel’s goodwill is built through guest reviews, roadside signs, social media pages, booking portals and travel-agent referrals. A copied name can divert bookings before a guest even reaches the reception desk. A registered mark helps establish who owns the trade mark for the services stated in the registration.
Business-name registration and trademark registration are different. Registration with the Office of the Company Registrar (OCR) records a company or business name; it does not replace a DoI trademark registration. If your hotel trades under a distinctive public-facing name, protect that name as a wordmark as well.
A wordmark protects the name in plain text. A logo registration protects the specific visual design. In practice, a hotel with the budget to protect both should consider separate filings, because another operator may copy the name without copying the emblem, or copy a similar emblem while changing the words.
Which NICE classes apply to hotel brands in Nepal?
NICE Class 43 Nepal filings cover hotel, resort, guesthouse, restaurant, catering and temporary accommodation services. The DoI uses the NICE Classification, which has 45 classes, and Sec. 18A requires a separate application for each class. Extra hotel activities may therefore need separate brand-registration filings.
Class 43 is normally the starting point for a hotel trademark Nepal application. It covers the guest experience: rooms, lodging, dining and related hospitality services. It does not automatically protect goods you sell under the mark or separate commercial services run under the same brand.
| NICE class | Hotel-related use | When it may be needed |
|---|---|---|
| Class 43 | Hotels, resorts, guesthouses, restaurants and catering | Core accommodation and food-service brand |
| Class 35 | Business, advertising and travel-agency-related services | A separately branded travel desk or booking business |
| Class 30 | Coffee, tea, spices and packaged food products | Branded tea, coffee or food sold for guests to take home |
| Class 32 | Non-alcoholic beverages | Juice, mineral water or soft drinks under your own label |
| Class 33 | Alcoholic beverages | Wine, spirits or beer sold under your hotel brand |
| Class 25 | Clothing and merchandise | Branded caps, T-shirts, robes or retail clothing |
Use the free NICE Class Finder to check the wording for your actual services. A common mistake we see is claiming Class 43 alone for a resort that also sells packaged Himalayan coffee or runs travel arrangements under the same name.
How do you register a hotel name with the DoI?
You register a hotel name Nepal by searching earlier marks, selecting the correct NICE class, and filing with the DoI. The DoI examines the application, publishes accepted marks in the Industrial Property Bulletin, allows a 90-day opposition period, then issues a registration certificate if the application succeeds.
- Clear the name and logo. Search exact words, sound-alike names, spelling variants and related hotel services. Start with the public Nepal trademark database search, but assess logos and close commercial impressions carefully.
- Choose every necessary class. Identify what guests receive and what products or services you sell separately. Write a clear goods-and-services description that matches your present or planned business.
- Prepare the application. Finalise the hotel wordmark or logo label, applicant details, Power of Attorney and supporting company records before filing.
- File and respond to examination. The DoI checks whether the mark is registrable and conflicts with prior marks. It may raise issues about similarity, descriptiveness or documents, which need a considered response.
- Wait through publication and opposition. An accepted mark is published in the Industrial Property Bulletin. A person who believes it harms their earlier rights may oppose within 90 days.
- Complete registration and retain records. If the mark proceeds, obtain the registration certificate and keep its details safely for enforcement, licensing and renewal.
The Department of Industry is the registering authority and also has a quasi-judicial role in industrial-property disputes. Filing is procedural, but a weak class choice or confusingly similar brand can create a problem that is much harder to fix later.
What documents are required for hotel trademark registration?
Domestic hotel applicants generally submit the prescribed application, mark label, notarised Power of Attorney, company board resolution, industry certificate and latest tax-clearance letter to the DoI. Foreign applicants file directly through a Nepal-based representative and generally provide home-registration evidence, subject to their filing circumstances.
The mark label is the exact wordmark or visual logo you seek to protect. Do not casually alter it after filing. If you apply for “Sajilo Stay” in a particular script, colour arrangement or logo layout, the application should consistently reflect that chosen mark.
A Power of Attorney authorises a representative to act before the DoI. It should be properly executed and notarised. A company board resolution shows that the entity has authorised the filing. Priority documents may also be relevant where an applicant relies on a qualifying earlier foreign filing under the Paris Convention.
Nepal is not part of the Madrid System. A foreign hotel chain cannot extend an international trademark registration into Nepal through Madrid; it needs a direct national filing through a Nepal-based agent or representative. The World Intellectual Property Organization explains the international NICE framework, but the DoI decides Nepal registration.
How long does hotel trademark registration take in Nepal?
Hotel trademark registration Nepal typically takes about 12–14 months when no opposition or major examination issue arises. A smooth, straightforward case may finish in about 6–8 months, but that is the favourable end of DoI practice rather than the timeline a hotel should use for planning.
Examination timing, document quality, the Bulletin publication cycle and any opposition affect the result. You should file before announcing a new resort, launching a booking campaign or printing expensive signage wherever possible. First-to-file means delay creates an avoidable opening for another applicant.
What affects the cost of hotel brand protection?
Hotel brand protection costs depend chiefly on the number of NICE classes, whether you file a wordmark and logo separately, document preparation, search depth and any DoI examination or opposition work. Government charges and professional assistance are separate, so obtain a current class-by-class estimate before filing.
A single Class 43 application is usually simpler than a portfolio covering accommodation, branded coffee, drinks, clothing and a travel business. Filing fewer classes may reduce the immediate outlay, but it can leave valuable revenue lines outside the registered mark’s scope. Match protection to a genuine business plan.
Use the trademark fee calculator for a current planning estimate, then ask for advice if your ownership structure, foreign documents, logo or service list is complex. This article is general information, not legal advice; obtain advice for your hotel’s facts.
What hotel trademark mistakes should you avoid?
Hotels should avoid descriptive names, late filing, incomplete class coverage and assumptions that company registration creates trademark rights. The DoI can refuse marks that harm another mark’s goodwill or are already registered, as reflected in Sec. 18 of the Patent, Design and Trademark Act 1965.
- Choosing a generic name: “Best Mountain Hotel” may describe the service rather than identify one business. A coined, distinctive name is usually easier to defend.
- Searching only exact spelling: “Himalayan Haven” and “Himalayan Heaven” may still create a similarity issue for closely related hospitality services.
- Using ® before registration: Sec. 18B restricts presenting an unregistered mark as registered. You may use TM as a commercial notice, but do not claim registration before the certificate.
- Ignoring renewal: registration lasts seven years. Plan renewal before expiry rather than discovering the date after a new competitor appears.
- Leaving a registered mark unused: Sec. 18C allows the DoI to cancel a mark that is not used within one year of registration.
How would a boutique hotel protect its name in practice?
A boutique hotel called “Juniper Courtyard” in Bhaktapur would normally file its distinctive wordmark in NICE Class 43 before its public launch. If it sells sealed Juniper Courtyard tea and coffee, it should assess Class 30 separately because the product brand is outside accommodation services.
It should search “Juniper,” “Courtyard,” spelling variants and comparable logo concepts before committing to an exterior sign, domain campaign and booking-platform listings. If an earlier “Juniper Court” hotel mark exists, the hotel should get a professional risk assessment rather than assuming one changed word makes the name safe.
If the hotel later opens a branded trekking-booking business, it should review Class 35. A registration certificate is not a blanket right over every commercial activity. The scope comes from the registered mark and the class or classes for which it is registered.
What are the alternatives and edge cases for hotel brands?
Hotel operators can protect different assets through different rights, but a DoI trademark registration remains the primary route for hotel name and logo protection. Patent, design and trademark rights are governed by the 1965 Act, while a distinctive product appearance may call for separate industrial-design registration with its own five-year renewable term.
For example, a distinctive reusable water-bottle shape or room-key design may be considered for industrial-design protection if it meets the relevant requirements. A new technical energy-saving device may raise patent questions instead. Neither right substitutes for a Class 43 trademark protecting the hotel’s public identity.
If another party applies for a similar hotel name, act during the Bulletin opposition period. If infringement is already occurring, preserve evidence such as signs, listings, invoices and screenshots. Our team can help with trademark opposition and enforcement options through the DoI process.
In short: file early for your distinctive hotel name and logo, begin with NICE Class 43, add classes only where your actual branded activities require them, and protect the registration through timely renewal.
People also search for
Hotel owners commonly compare Class 43 coverage, clearance searches, documents, filing stages and foreign-owner requirements before lodging a DoI trademark application. These Nepal-specific guides explain the next questions using the same first-to-file system and Department of Industry process.
- How to protect a hotel and travel brand in Nepal
- Trademark Class 43 for restaurants and hotels in Nepal
- How to register a trademark in Nepal
- How to register a hotel logo as a trademark in Nepal
- Documents required for trademark registration in Nepal
- How long trademark registration takes in Nepal
- How foreign companies register a trademark in Nepal
Check your proposed hotel name in the Nepal trademark database, review filing help through our trademark registration service, and contact our team for a current, hotel-specific filing plan.
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