On 1 April 2025, following in the footsteps of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (or Laos) became the second Asian country to allow an owner of a European patent to obtain protection on its territory. This is obviously good news and contributes to Europe’s international influence.
Thus, with the 6 states that have validation agreements with the EPO, a European patent owner can obtain protection in up to 46 countries on 3 different continents.
As a reminder, as is customary for validation countries, it will only be possible to validate a European patent in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for European patents resulting from a European patent application or an international application filed after 1 April 2025.
If you are interested in this possibility of protection in Laos, please do not hesitate to contact us.
For more information, please consult the EPO press release and the March 2025 Official Journal.
