The Lao Digital Gazette has published a new Decision on Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) on January 26, 2026, formally establishing the legal framework for the creation and operation of CMOs in the country. The decision marks a significant step forward in strengthening the collective management of intellectual property rights in the Lao PDR.

The newly issued decision follows an earlier draft that was released for public consultation, reflecting inputs from relevant stakeholders.

“The new regulation can materially strengthen Laos’ creative sector by putting in place a workable framework for collective management of copyright and related rights,” said Dino Santaniello, an independent consultant. “It enables CMOs to license uses, collect money generated from those uses, and distribute income to creators and right holders. In practice, tracking uses (including online), negotiating licenses, collecting payments, and taking enforcement measures require dedicated infrastructure (IT, staff, data), logistics, and specialist expertise. It is certainly challenging for individual creators or right holders to replicate it on their own.”

He added that the advantages of a CMO system on paper depend on serious preparation and implementation by the CMOs in practice, which is often the hardest part.

Impact on the creative sector (creators, producers, performers)

• New revenue channel: CMOs are designed to negotiate licenses, collect, and distribute income to members. This can help move copyright from a right on paper to a practical payment mechanism for music, performances, audiovisual uses, broadcasting, and other exploitations, an area that remains limited in Laos.
• Broader financial spillover beyond Vientiane Capital: By centralizing licensing, collections, and distribution, a functioning CMO can help ensure that income generated from the use of creative works reaches creators beyond Vientiane Capital (e.g., provinces with strong artist communities such as Khammouane), rather than concentrating most financial benefits in the country’s richest market like the capital, Vientiane.
• Stronger bargaining position: Instead of creators chasing users one by one, CMOs can become a single negotiating point, especially for uses that are hard to license individually (venues, broadcasters, events, digital uses).
• International royalty connectivity: The regulation contemplates cooperation with foreign CMOs, which matters for cross-border repertoires and royalty flows (Lao works used abroad and foreign works used in Laos), including for the Lao diaspora consuming Lao content overseas.

Impact on businesses that use content

• Clearer pathway to legal use: Even willing users may not know whom to approach to pay. A functioning CMO system can offer more standardized licensing and clearer points of contact.
• Higher compliance expectations: Once CMOs are licensed and operational, users (including online platforms and commercial venues) should expect more structured licensing requests and more disputes if use continues without authorization.

Impact on IP in general

• Strictly speaking, the regulation focuses on copyright and related rights, not patents or trademarks. But it can still strengthen the IP environment overall by:
• Signalling enforcement direction and institutional maturity: A credible system for licensing and income distribution can raise expectations that IP rights are meant to be respected and monetized.
• Supporting legal certainty and professionalization: Licensing systems, reporting, audits, and oversight contribute to a more predictable IP ecosystem.

Santaniello said that there are key watch-outs. “Everything depends on implementation,” he said. “The impact will depend on whether CMOs become operational, build credible repertoires and databases, and whether licensing is enforced in practice.”

There is also the open issue in practice: legal form and market confidence. “If stakeholders remain unsure how CMOs sit legally (including liability, dispute handling, and accountability), adoption may slow even if the text is clear. Public awareness campaigns will also matter, toward users who must pay for use and toward the broader public,” he added.

- Excel V. Dyquiangco