Lesotho Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in lesotho, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Protecting Intellectual Property
Last published date:

Legal structures to protect intellectual property rights are relatively strong; however, the legal framework requires updates to reflect recent developments. Investors report that enforcement remains somewhat weak, though infringements and theft are not widespread.  Lesotho respects international intellectual property laws and is a member of both the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the African Intellectual Property Organization. Intellectual property protection is governed by the Industrial Property Order of 1989, the Copyright Act of 1989, and the Lesotho Copyright Regulations 139 of 2015, all of which conform to the Paris Convention and Berne Convention standards. The law protects patents, industrial designs, trademarks, and copyrights, but does not extend to trade secrets or semiconductor chip layout designs. The Law Office oversees enforcement of the Industrial Property Order, while the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Business Development, and Tourism is responsible for enforcing copyright, reflecting the law’s focus on artistic works. The Deeds Registry carries out registration, and Lesotho is not listed in USTR’s Special 301 Report, nor does it host a Notorious Market.

For additional information about treaty obligations and points of contact at local IP offices, please see WIPO’s country profiles at https://www.wipo.int/directory/en/.

In any foreign market companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. For background, link to our article on Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.

Resources for Rights Holders 
Contact at Mission:
Name of Economic Officer:  Sean Lawlor
Title: Political and Economic Affairs Chief 
Tel: (266) 2231 2666
Email:  LawlorSM@state.gov

Local Lawyers List:
Naledi Chambers Incorporated
1st floor Metropolitan Building
Kingsway,
Maseru
Lesotho
Tel: (266) 2231 4986
Fax :(266) 2231 0521 
E-mail: naledichambersinc@tlmail.co.ls  

 

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility