Industry Ministry asks for funds to set up IP office

KATHMANDU, MAY 11 -

The Industry Ministry has requested the Finance Ministry to allocate funds to set up a separate office to look after intellectual property (IP) issues. The government’s plan to establish the Nepal Intellectual Property Protection Office (NIPPO) was announced in the budget of the fiscal year 2013-14.

The ministry is currently conducting IP-related activities out of the Industrial Property Division at the Industry Department. The Industry Ministry has been trying for more than a year to get a budget allocation to form a separate entity dedicated to IP.

“Though most of the programmes included in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year are repetitions of previous programmes, the ministry has proposed two new programmes among which setting up the IP office is one,” said Industry Secretary Krishna Gyanwali.

Industrial Enterprise Act 2010 has envisioned forming a separate IP body. As per the provision stated in the act, the Industry Ministry has been working to set up the office for more than five years.

Formation of the IP body is also crucial as IP-related activities including registration of IP and follow-up of complaints against trademark violations have not been effectively carried out by the division at the Industry Department due to limited resources and scope.

“In our proposal, we have asked that the new IP body be equal to any ministerial department in its scope and authority,” added Gyanwali. The ministry has also carried out an Organization and Management (O&M) Survey to establish the body. “Though the report of the O&M Survey is yet to come, we have been laying the groundwork for the IP body by asking the Finance Ministry for money,” said Jit Bahadur Thapa, joint secretary of the Industry Ministry . Meanwhile, the ministry has also asked for funds to set up Company Registrar Offices (CROs) in five more places across the country. “As we have only one CRO in Kathmandu, service seekers from other places are facing difficulties while registering their companies or investing in projects,” said Thapa.

According to him, the ministry has proposed setting up CROs in Pokhara, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Birgunj and Biratnagar spanning all the five development regions. “The offices will be of regional size,” added secretary Gyanwali, “If we cannot afford to hire new staff

for those offices, we will ask personnel from the small and cottage industry offices in those places to operate the CRO.” He added that the ministry was committed to beginning company registration from across the country from the next fiscal year.

The ministry has asked for Rs 35 million to begin these two new programmes through the budget. Apart from these programmes,

the ministry has proposed continuing its previous programmes including extracting petroleum products from Kathmandu and reviving sick factories and ailing public enterprises.

Source: The Kathmandu Post