Madagascar has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Madagascar has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Madagascar has a copyright regime under Law N. 94-036 of 18 December 1995 on Literary and Artistic Property. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 42-50 list the exceptions, which include personal and teaching purposes; the reproduction and distribution by the press, broadcasting or cable communication to the public of an economic, political or religious article published in newspapers or periodicals, or a broadcast work of the same nature, in cases where the right of reproduction, broadcasting or such communication to the public is not expressly reserved; among others.

It is reported that the intellectual property authorities (OMAPI: Malagasy Industrial Property Office and OMDA: Malagasy Copyright Office) officially protect against intellectual property infringement, but the enforcement capacity is limited due to resource constraints, including low digitisation, a limited judicial system and a lack of awareness of intellectual property rights among businesses and consumers. Due to these constraints, international investors have experienced challenges in defending their interests. Madagascar does not track or report seizures of counterfeit goods, which are readily available on local markets, as are unauthorised copies of famous brands, songs and videos.

Madagascar is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

According to Art. 85, the publication director of a media communication enterprise (including journalistic publication enterprises on the Internet) must have a fiscal residence in Madagascar, be of age, enjoy civil and civic rights, and not have been the target of a judicial conviction.

Madagascar is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) nor does it have observer status.

According to Art. 49-I and II of Law No. 2016-055, any contracting authority may apply a margin of preference not exceeding 15%, to a tender submitted by an international tenderer who intends to subcontract at least 25% of the overall value of the contract concerned to a local or community small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs). Moreover, in awarding a contract with an international scope, preference may be given to the tender submitted by a national company. This preference shall be quantified as a percentage of the tender value.

Madagascar is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).

Lesotho has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Lesotho has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

Lesotho has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Lesotho does not have a legal framework that applies consumer protection to online transactions.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is equal to USD 17 (Intra-Southern African Customs Union) and USD 35 (Extra-Southern African Customs Union), below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).