A to Z of African official IP websites no.26: Lesotho

Afro-IP's dedicated web-explorer Kingsley Egbuonu has visited some desperately depressing jurisdictions in his time, as he searches for websites and online services offered by intellectual property offices in our favourite continent. In the 26th in the series, Kingsley -- fresh from a good experience in Kenya -- is cast back into the gloom again after a visit to a country which was once thought to have great IP prospects, Lesotho. Kingsley reports as follows:

Overview

Lesotho is a Contracting Party to several treaties on intellectual property which includes: the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. It is also a member of ARIPO.

Copyright Office

• The Ministry of Law and Constitutional Affairs is the competent office responsible for copyright and related rights in Lesotho.
  
  
• Currently, this office has no website.

 Industrial Property Offices

• The Ministry of Law and Constitutional Affairs is the competent office responsible for the administration of intellectual property rights in Lesotho.
  
  
• Currently, this office has no website.

 Social media presence

None.

Latest intellectual property update/law

None.

 Conclusion

To date, it appears that where IP apathy exists — in a given country in Africa like Lesotho — it is highly unlikely for one to find a website or web trails for that country’s IP office or activity. Based on what we have seen so far in the series, some member states of ARIPO have not bothered to enhance their domestic IP office and/or regime. Again, many will —rightly or wrongly —argue that IP is not on its government’s development agenda.

Kingsley tweets as IPinAfrica