A new regulation in Laos provides significant practical clarity
on procedures and contingencies related to patents and petty
patents. Published in the Official Gazette on December 23,
the Decision on Patents and Petty Patents no.1714/MOST, dated
December 15, 2020, is the latest step in Laos' ongoing efforts
to improve the utility of its system for patents and petty
patents.
Laos has steadily built up its patent regime since the early
2000s by issuing laws and regulations defining the key elements.
These continued to be updated after Laos joined the Patent
Cooperation Treaty in 2006, and in recent years, various regional
and bilateral cooperation has helped accelerate some patent
applications. However, even after the amended Law on Intellectual
Property took effect in June 2018, the process could still be
prohibitively time-consuming.
