Documents Required
  1. A simply signed and sealed Power of Attorney which does not require notarization and legalization. Original signed POA shall be submitted within 2 month from the filing date without any arising fees);
  2. The applicant’s complete name and address;
  3. List of goods/services to be covered by the trademark;
  4. Representation of trademark;
  5. If priority is claimed, a certified copy of the priority document filed within 1 month from the filing date of the foreign application
Procedure / Time Frame

Under Laos’s current practice, the estimated time frame from the filing of an application to the issuance of Registration Certificate for a smooth trademark application is approximately 16 to 20 months.

Validity / Renewal

A trade mark is valid for 10 years from its date of registration. It may be renewed indefinitely every 10 years.

Legal Basis (I.e., Trademarks Act 2019)

Decree No. 06/PM of Prime Minister on Trademarks Registration (1995) Decree No. 054/PO of January 16, 2012, of the President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on the Promulgation of the Amended Law on Intellectual Property (2012)

Filing Requirement / Documents Required

Direct National Application:-

  1. Filing form request for the grant of a patent;
  2. Applicant's name and address;
  3. Inventor's name and address;
  4. A specification comprising a description, claims and any necessary drawings;
  5. the country and filing particulars of basic application whose priority is claimed;
  6. Form for the appointment of patent agent; and
  7. Filing of an assignment from inventor to applicant.

PCT National Phase Application:-

  1. A copy of the PCT application in English language (i.e. PCT/RO/101);
  2. The details of the PCT application as published by WIPO;
  3. PCT specification as originally filed;
  4. International Preliminary Report on Patentability;
  5. Amendments filed in the international phase (if any);
  6. Power of Attorney; and
  7. Filing of an assignment from inventor to applicant."
Specific Remark
  1. Notarised Power of Attorney and Deed of Assignment is required.
Procedure / Time Frame
  1. Filing of Patent Application

    Applicant is required to submit an application within 12 months of priority date.

  2. Formality Examination

    It takes 60 days for the Department of Intellectual Property of Laos (DIP) to complete the formality examination of a patent application.

  3. Substantive Examination

    The DIP will conduct a substantive examination of the patent application to determine whether it meets the requirements for patentability. In the case where the patent application had previously been subject to a search or examination by another authority (in another country), the applicant can submit a copy of that report and request that it be accepted in lieu of conducting a search in Laos. DIP is legally obligated to complete this examination within 32 months for an invention (patent)

  4. Publication and Opposition

    Laos operates a pre-grant opposition system which is available to patent

  5. Registration

    Finally on completion of objections and opposition, a Certificate of Registration will be issued subject to the payment of a fee. "

Validity / Renewal

"Fee for maintenance of patent application/ patent in Laos is counted from the filing date. There is a grace period for no more than 6 months after the expiration of the current validity term to pay the annuity.

Under practice, fees for maintenance of patent application in Laos from the 1st to the 4th filing year are requested to pay at the filing time. At the time of paying the granting fees, fees for maintenance of patent application/ patent in Laos from the 5th filing year to the first granting year are required to pay. After granting a patent, the annuity is required to maintain a patent in Laos."

Novelty Grace Period

No grace period

Filing Requirement / Documents Required
  1. Applicant's name and address
  2. Author's name and address
  3. Description of the design.
  4. The country and filing particulars of basic application whose priority is claimed.
  5. Power of Attorney.
  6. Representations of the design.
  7. Classification of the article or articles to which the industrial design is intended to be applied.
  8. A statement justifying the applicant’s rights to the registration of the industrial design, if the author is not the applicant
Specific Remark
  1. An industrial design application can be filed in either English or Lao. However, application documents submitted in English must be translated into Lao within 90 days from the application filing date.
  2. Notarised Power of Attorney is required.
Procedure / Time Frame

Within sixty (60) days since the date of receiving the application for an industrial design, DIP shall conduct a formality examination of the application regarding the completeness, accuracy and conformity with prescribed requirements.

In case that the application is in conformity with the preliminary examination requirements, the application will be accepted for substantive examination. DIP shall publish the application in the official gazette for registration of industrial property within fifteen (15) days after completing the formality examination of the application.

Substantive examination shall include a search to identify any earlier industrial designs or other disclosures that may create a bar to the grant of an industrial design

Validity / Renewal

The term of protection for an industrial design shall be 15 years beginning from the filing date of the application for registration in the Lao PDR.

To maintain the industrial design registration in effect, the owner of industrial design shall pay in advance to DIP a fee to maintain the registration or application in effect. The period for paying the fee shall begin five (05) years from the filing date of the application for industrial design registration and shall be payable every five (05) years thereafter.

Novelty Grace Period

N/A