Kathmandu, Aug. 1 -- Every software application people use is built through years of engineering effort and significant financial investment. But when the source code, the underlying codebase that forms the backbone of a software product, is stolen, copied and repackaged under a different name, software companies can lose both their competitive edge and their business.

The problem is becoming increasingly common in Nepal. In the last fiscal year 2025-26, the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police received 10 complaints involving the theft of computer source code. The Nepal Copyright Registrar's Office also received similar complaints, some of which have already reached the courts. As demand for digital systems continues to grow, software piracy ha...