General information on trademark registration in Laos
According to current regulations in Laos, “Mark” includes service marks, collective marks and 3-D marks. Laos adopts the International Classification of Goods and Services under the Nice Agreement. Each trademark application can be applied for one trademark for only one class of goods/services.
Foreign individuals or entities can file trademark applications in Laos if they have legal representative in Laos such as representative offices. Otherwise, applications must be filed through Laos’s trademark agents. Like Vietnam, Laos adopts first-to-file principle.
Formality and substantive examinations shall be conducted for all trademark applications within 6 months from the filing date. Upon expiry of such period, if the trademark is found inherently distinctive and distinguishable from the earlier filed trademarks, the Lao Trademark Department shall grant Certificate of Registration for the applied mark.
Required Information and documents for filing
(i) Full name, address and nationality of the applicant;
(ii) Trademark specimens (20 specimens) with the size not larger than 80mm x 80 mm and not smaller than 50 x 50 mm. Colors can be claimed for the marks provided that the trademark specimens are in color. In case that the trademark includes characters not of English, translation or transliteration of the characters is required;
(iii) A list of goods/services and the International Classification of the designated goods/services (if known);
(iv) Priority date for claiming priority right under the Paris Convention (if any), including application number, priority date, country. Certified copy of the priority application and the English translation can be submitted later, after filing;
(v) A notarized POA from the Applicant. The POA should identify particular mark(s). One notarized POA can be used for filing a single trademark or for several trademarks provided that all the identified marks are filed simultaneously (at the same time).
