Gen Z protests force Nepal to issue trademark notice
11 December 2025
Nepal’s Department of Industry (DOI) released a notice regarding pending trademark applications, published on December 1, 2025.
The said notice discussed the status of the applications which were affected by the Gen Z movement on September 9, 2025 – nationwide anti-corruption protests mounted by Nepal’s Gen Z members. The protests involved arson, vandalism and looting, resulting in damaged files and infrastructure including physical files in the DOI’s industrial property section.
Among the key requirements in the notice are the following:
Regarding pending or incomplete applications, all previous applicants, especially those with incomplete documentation, must resubmit their applications with all necessary documents by February 28, 2026, or 90 daysfrom the date of issuance of the notice. Applications that are pending for more than seven years, which are not resubmitted by February 28, 2026, will be automatically cancelled.
For approved applications ready for certificate collection,applicants with trademarks that had been published in the Industrial Property Bulletin without opposition must submit the required documents by May 31, 2026, or six months from the date of issuance of the notice. The applicants may collect their certificates after submitting the documents. Applications that are not submitted by May 31, 2026, will be cancelled.
The DOI notice is the latest in a series of developments concerning trademark applications in Nepal. On August 19, 2025, the trademark registry issued a public notice requiring registrants to submit proof of use for their registered trademarks. However, the DOI suspended this notice on September 24, 2025, due to the Gen Z protests. The damage incurred from the violent activities made implementation of the August 19 notice impossible, hence the suspension of the notice.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
