This information is derived from the State Department's Office of Investment Affairs’ Investment Climate Statement. Any questions on the ICS can be directed to EB-ICS-DL@state.gov

Real Property

The right to private property is protected under the law. All foreign and domestic private entities may freely establish, acquire, and dispose of interests in business enterprises. Under the Land Act of 2010, foreign nationals are permitted to buy and hold land provided they have a local partner with at least 20% ownership. Lesotho has no competition law or overall competition regulator. The Industrial Licensing Act 1969, which allowed businesses to apply for protection against competition for up to 10 years, was repealed in 2014.

Secured interests in property, both movable and real, are recognized and enforced under the Land Act 2010. . The concept of a mortgage exists; mortgages are protected under the Deeds Registry Act of 1967. Secured interests, including mortgages, are recorded and filed by the Deeds Registry. Through the support of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the government of Lesotho significantly improved the process of registering land titles; peaking at 88 under the “Registering Property” index of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report in 2014. However, since then Lesotho’s ranking in registering property has fallen in consecutive years and is now 108.

Intellectual Property Rights

Legal structures to protect intellectual property rights are relatively strong. Investors complain that enforcement is somewhat weak, although infringements and theft are not common. Lesotho respects international intellectual property laws, and is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the African Intellectual Property Organization. . Intellectual property protection is regulated by the Industrial Property Order of 1989 and the Copyright Act of 1989, which conform to the standards set out in the Paris Convention and Berne Convention. The law protects patents, industrial designs, trademarks, and grant of copyright, but does not protect trade secrets or semi-conductor chip lay-out design. The Law Office is responsible for enforcement of the Industrial Property Order, while the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture is responsible for enforcement of copyright (reflecting the law’s focus on protection of artistic works). The Deeds Registry carries out registration.

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 http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/.

Resources for Rights Holders

Contact at Mission:

NAME of Economic Officer: Daniel Kobayashi
TITLE: Political and Economic Officer
TELEPHONE NUMBER: +266 2231-2666
EMAIL ADDRESS: MaseruCommercial@state.gov

Local Lawyers List:

NALEDI CHAMBERS INCORPORATED
1st Floor, Metropolitan Building
Kingsway,
MASERU
Lesotho

Tel. : +266 22 314 986
Fax : +266 22 310521
e-mail: naledichambersinc@tlmail.co.ls

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.