Stakeholders have said the country has failed to prioritise IP and make necessary legal amendments in line with international trends.

At an event organised by the Department of Industry (DoI) in coordination with the Intellectual Property Protection Society of Nepal (IPPSN) to mark the World Intellectual Property Day here on Saturday, speakers stressed on the need for strengthening bureaucratic, administrative and legal aspects for the promotion and protection of IP.

“For the protection and promotion of the IP, there is a need for making the society aware,” said Industry Minister Karna Bahadur Thapa. He said his ministry is working to amend acts governing IP rights. He also urged stakeholders to come to him with concrete plans and agendas for the amendment of the act at the possible earliest.

Industry Secretary Krishna Gyawali stressed on the need for coordination between leaders, managers and experts for understanding the importance of IP and coming up with plans and policies accordingly.

Gyawali accepted the government’s priority has fallen short in the promotion and protection of IP. He said the fact that there needs a lot of inter-ministry coordination for coming up with a proper plan has also been a major impediment.

While IP issues related to industries comes under the MoI’s purview, other issues including copyright is handled by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. “We require an integrated institution having representatives from both the ministries to work on the issue,” he said.

Dhurba Lal Rajbanshi, director general at DoI, said the realisation of IP’s importance IP is necessary for attracting foreign investment, employment generation and overall development of the economy. He said awareness raising programmes and campaigns are necessary for making the general people aware about the importance of IP.

Private sector leaders urged the government work together with them for the promotion and protection of IP. “We need a friendly atmosphere for research and development and creating patents,” said Hari Bhakta Sharma, vice president of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI).

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCI) President Pradeep Jung Pandey lauded the government’s initiative to have a collective trademark for Chyangra Pashmina and said more such patents and trademarks should be adopted for products like tea and coffee.