Trademark registration in Lesotho

The trademark office and official links

Trademarks in Lesotho are registered by the Registrar General's Office, Ministry of Justice and Law (RGO).

• Trademark office: Registrar General's Office, Ministry of Justice and Law (RGO)
• Law: Industrial Property Order, 1989 (Order No. 5 of 1989, as amended by Act No. 4 of 1997)
• Law: Industrial Property Regulations, 1989 (Legal Notice No. 85 of 1989)

Official fees in Lesotho

The office does not publish an up-to-date fee schedule we could verify. Ask firms that cover Lesotho for a quote that shows official and professional fees separately — post a request or compare packages.

How to register a trademark in Lesotho

1. Foreign applicants appoint a legal practitioner resident and practising in Lesotho as agent.
2. File the application with the Registrar General's Office, listing goods and services under the applicable Nice classes.
3. The Registrar examines the application for formalities and for substantive and relative grounds.
4. Accepted applications are advertised in the Official Gazette for opposition.
5. If no opposition is filed within three months of advertisement, the mark proceeds to registration.

Examination, publication and opposition

• Examination: The Registrar examines formalities and substantive and relative grounds; no official examination time is stated.
• Publication: Official Gazette (national applications)
• Opposition period: 3 months from advertisement in the Official Gazette (extendable by the Registrar)

Protection, renewal and use

• Term: 10 years from the filing date, renewable.
• Late renewal: 6 months for late payment of the renewal fee, with a surcharge
• Use requirement: a registration can be challenged after 3 years of non-use.

Filing from abroad

• Local agent: Applicants whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Lesotho must be represented by an agent, who must be a legal practitioner resident and practising in Lesotho (Order, ss. 2 and 35).
• Language: English

Firms on TrademarksHub that cover Lesotho can act as your local agent — see firms.

Madrid Protocol

Lesotho is a member of the Madrid System (in force since 1999). You can designate it in an international application filed through your home office, or file a national application directly. A local firm can advise which route is cheaper for your classes and timeline.

Trademark classes

Nice Classification (45 classes); the Order requires goods and services to be listed under the applicable class or classes of the International Classification. One application can cover several classes. Not sure which classes you need? See all 45 classes or classes by business type.

How Lesotho compares

• Opposition: 3 months from advertisement in the Official Gazette (extendable by the Registrar) — compare all countries
• Renewal: every 10 years; grace period 6 months for late payment of the renewal fee, with a surcharge — compare all countries
• Foreign owners: required — rules in every country

Guides: registering in any country · costs by country · Madrid

Good to know in Lesotho

• Lesotho can be covered three ways: a national filing, an ARIPO application under the Banjul Protocol designating Lesotho, or a Madrid international registration designating Lesotho.
• In practice the registry publishes only national applications; for ARIPO and Madrid designations the opposition period runs from publication in the ARIPO bulletin or the WIPO Gazette, so third parties must watch those publications.
• A registered mark can be removed for non-use after a continuous period of three years, which is shorter than the five years common elsewhere (Order, s. 30(4)).
• Convention priority may be claimed within six months; a certified copy of the priority application is reportedly due within three months of filing in Lesotho.

Questions