48 Trademarks Crowd into Issue No. 365 of the Gazette: 16 from China, 14 from South Korea — Your Signboard May Be Getting Queued Up for Registration by Someone Else

48件商标挤进第365期公报：中国16件、韩国14件——你的招牌，可能正被别人排队抢注

48 ເຄື່ອງໝາຍການຄ້າເຂົ້າໃນຈົດໝາຍເຫດສະບັບທີ 365: ຈີນ 16, ເກົາຫຼີ 14 — ປ້າຍຂອງທ່ານອາດຈະຖືກຄົນອື່ນຕໍ່ຄິວຍຶດຈອງ

Published: 2026-09-14 · LaoPaniti legal guides

The Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of Laos has updated its Trademark Gazette again. This issue is Issue No. 365, and a total of 48 Trademarks are published. The number isn't large, but if you flip through the sources of the Applicants, you might not be able to sit still: 16 from China, 14 from South Korea, 4 from the United States, 3 from Bulgaria, 2 from Germany.

This is not a "list of other people's stuff." It is a mirror: while you are opening a shop, stocking goods, and building word-of-mouth in Laos, a batch of Enterprises has already quietly lined up brand names into the official process.

Among These 48, What Classes Is Everyone Fighting Over?

Looking at the Nice Classification, the busiest this issue is Class 03 (9 items) — daily chemicals, washing and care, Cosmetics; closely followed by Class 09 (5 items), usually related to electronics, instruments, and software; there are also cross-class bundled applications like Classes 09, 28, 41 (3 items), as well as Class 01 (2 items) and Class 31 (2 items).

The Trademark names published in this issue are also listed: GRAY LINE, moin, RHIZOTRAX, Multi RS Solar, custartt, PACETTA, GRIDVISTA, Gecko Ventura.

You will notice a pattern: Applicants who are truly doing business do not just register one name; they target the classes in which they sell goods, open shops, and provide Services to occupy the position. If the classes are chosen accurately, it will be less easy for others to block you later.

First-to-File System: Whoever Submits Materials First Owns the Name

Laos' Trademark system is a first-to-file system. In plain language, this means: It does not look at who used it first or who has done it longer; it only looks at who submitted the application first.

You have run a shop in Vientiane for three years, and your signboard is well known in the neighborhood — but as long as someone else submits an application one step earlier than you, you will be the one in trouble later. Although an opposition can be filed during the publication period, opposition is a matter that takes time and energy to prove with evidence, far less preferable to holding the name in your own hands from the start.

This is also why every issue of the Gazette is worth a glance: it is both intelligence on "how far others have already gone" and an alarm reminding you "which step you are still missing."

Spending a Few Minutes on a Similarity Search Is Much Cheaper Than Explaining Later

Before spending money on an application, the first thing you should do is a similarity search: check whether the name you plan to use has already been applied for by someone, has already entered publication, or is stuck in a certain class.

LaoPaniti provides a free online Trademark similarity search tool, accessible at https://www.123laoai.com under "Workspace → Trademark Registration." No appointment, no waiting for a reply; you can get a preliminary read yourself.

If you also want to see how other Enterprises suffered losses on branding and then turned things around, you can read two articles: "Laos Trademark Gazette Issue No. 366: 405 Trademarks Published, 77 from the United States, 60 from Japan, 58 from China — Is Your Brand Still Safe?" (https://www.123laoai.com/guide/211) and "Not a Single Letter Less: From the Recovery of pradaboutique.la, Looking at the 'Life-and-Death Line' of Brand Domain Names" (https://www.123laoai.com/guide/213).

A brand is built bit by bit by you, but Registration is something that can only rely on you acting first. Go now to https://www.123laoai.com and let AI help you run a free similarity search, and don't wait until your own signboard appears in the next issue of the Gazette.

This article was compiled by LaoPaniti for reference only and does not constitute legal advice.

FAQ

Laos' Trademark system is first-to-file. If I have used a name locally for a long time, is there still hope?

The core of the first-to-file system is that "the person who submits the application first has priority." If you are already using it but have not yet applied, it is recommended to conduct a similarity search as soon as possible and submit an application; if someone else's application has already entered the publication period, under the Law you may file an opposition during the publication period, but you need to prepare materials such as evidence of use, and the specific process is subject to official procedures.

In Issue No. 365 of the Gazette, there are 16 items from Chinese Applicants. Does this show that Chinese brands are highly concentrated in Registration in Laos?

Among the 48 Trademarks published in this issue, the source countries of Applicants are China with 16, South Korea with 14, the United States with 4, Bulgaria with 3, and Germany with 2. This is only publication data for one issue and can reflect application activity for that period, but it does not represent the overall stock distribution.

How do I know whether the Trademark I want to use has already been applied for by someone else first?

You can first go to LaoPaniti at https://www.123laoai.com under "Workspace → Trademark Registration" and use the free online Trademark similarity search tool for a preliminary search, then combine it with the Nice Classification to confirm whether the class you want to use is already occupied. The similarity search results are for reference only; before formal application, it is recommended to further verify according to official requirements.

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