Lesotho

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General Information

  • Area: Approximately 30 500 km2
  • Population: 2 million
  • Capital: Maseru
  • Currency: Maloti
  • GDP:  $ 3.31 billion (2010)
  • Domain name extension: .ls
  • Languages: English, Sesotho (official languages)
  • Exports: Clothing; footwear; wool; mohair; livestock; food
  • Imports:  Food; building materials; vehicles; machinery; medicines; petroleum products

International / Regional conventions:

  • Banjul Protocol (of ARIPO)
  • Berne Convention
  • Madrid Agreement on Marks
  • Madrid Protocol on Marks
  • Paris Convention
  • Patent Cooperation Treaty
  • WIPO Convention
  • WTO/TRIPS

Trade Mark Information

International and Regional Arrangements:

Madrid Agreement:      Yes

Paris Union:                Yes

Types of Trade Marks:

Goods and services

Collective marks

No provision for defensive marks

Classification:

The International Classification of Goods and Services (Nice Classification) is applied.

Filing Requirements:

Particulars of Applicant (name, address and nationality)

Simply signed Power of Attorney

Representation of the mark

List of goods and / or services

Certified copy of the priority document

Duration:

The trade mark is registered 10 years from the filing date

Renewal:
Renewable every 10 years

Patent Information

International and Regional Arrangements:

Paris convention:  Yes

PCT:  Yes (national phase deadline is 30 months from the priority date)

ARIPO:  Yes (see ARIPO requirements for designating Lesotho in an ARIPO application)

OAPI:  No

Filing Requirements:

Published PCT application or English specification, claims and abstract (required on the day of filing)

Power of Attorney, notarised (no set deadline)

Assignment of Invention (no set deadline)

International Search Report and International Preliminary Report on Patentability (no set deadline)

Certified priority document with verified English translation (can be filed within three months)

Novelty
Novelty is destroyed by anything disclosed to the public by (a) publication in a tangible form anywhere in the world, or (b) prior oral disclosure, by use or in any other way in Lesotho
Patentability
Methods of medical treatment, surgery or diagnosis are not patentable
Excess Fees:
None
Examination:
As to form only
Term of Patent:
15 years from the effective filing date, extendible by a further 5 years. 20 years for an ARIPO patent
Renewals:
Payable annually in advance from the first anniversary of the effective filing date

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