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

Art. 4 of Law No. 51/2009 establishes that mobile telephone operators, their subsidiaries and authorised agents that commercialise services with activity systems through the prepaid card modality must keep a record of the identity or general information provided by their customers who acquire a telephone unit or smart card (SIM) with such payment modality.

It is reported that local authorities declared a state of emergency in Panama’s province of Bocas del Toro amid unrest. Following this declaration, Panama’s telecommunications regulator, the National Public Services Authority (ASEP), issued a letter on 20 June 2025 instructing telecommunications and internet service providers to suspend the provision of mobile cellular telephony and internet services in the province. The suspension was initially expected to remain in place until 25 June 2025, but the government subsequently extended the measure until 30 June 2025.

Pursuant to Art. 18 of Executive Decree No. 81/2017, the export and/or re-export of any goods included in Panama’s National Harmonised List requires economic operators to (i) register with the National System for the Registration of Economic Operators and the Tracking and Inventory of Dual-Use Goods, and (ii) obtain a prior licence from the competent authority. According to Art. 1 of Resolution 001/2018, Panama adopts the European Union Dual-Use Items Control List, as the Harmonised National List of Dual-Use Goods of the Republic of Panama, which includes categories such as electronics, computers, telecommunications, and information security (see Regulation (EU) 2021/821 repealed and replaced Regulation (EC) No. 428/2009, as subsequently amended and implemented by Regulation (EU) No. 1232/2011 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1922).

According to the Art. 290 of Executive Decree No. 73, all the equipment that is connected to the public network or used to carry out radioelectric emissions shall be approved for its commercialisation, use and operation. The Regulatory Entity establishes the requirements to ensure adequate compliance with the technical specifications.
According to the Art. 93 of Law 23 of July 15, 1997, the General Direction of Standards and Industrial Technology (DGNTI) is the organisation responsible for technical standardisation and conformity assessment. According to the DGNTI, the document that approves a certificate of conformity shall be issued either by a certification body duly accredited under ISO/IEC 17065 or by an accreditation body with international recognition under the Multilateral Recognition Agreements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
It is reported that products that use radio frequency technology require a type approval by ASEP (Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Públicos) and certification to import and commercialise in Panama. No testing is required, but a homologation process is necessary to obtain ASEP approval. Technical documents will be reviewed and validated in the approval process. The following products are signalled as requiring ASEP approval: transceivers, personal trackers, wireless microphones, mobile phones, Radio Frequency Identification equipment, and radio alarms.

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility. In addition, a safe harbour provision forms a substantial part of the intellectual property chapter in the FTA entered into between the United States of America and Panama (Art. 15.11, para. 27).

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringement. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility.

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

Panama has a copyright regime governed by Law No. 64. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, which limits the lawful use of copyrighted works by others. Art. 67 outlines the exceptions, including performances of works made at home, provided that there is no direct or indirect profit-making interest; performances for the general good during official or religious ceremonies; and performances in educational institutions for exclusively didactic purposes, among others.

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

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

Law No. 35 establishes a framework for the protection of trade secrets. Title IV of the Industrial Property Law regulates commercial and trade secrets and provides for liability for breaches of these provisions. In addition, Title IV of Executive Decree No. 7 of 17 February 1998 further implements and elaborates the rules set out in Law No. 35.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Panama to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements. As established by Art. 1 of the Resolution AN No. 2848-Telco and Annex A on Regulations for the installation, operation, and shared use of towers and/or structures that support telecommunications service antennas.

The government owns 49% of the shares of Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A., a Panamanian telecom company governed by private law.

Panama does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there has been an obligation to separate the accounts since 1997. Pursuant to Art. 86 of "Executive Decree No. 73, which implements Law No. 31 of 8 February 1996 on telecommunications regulation in Panama", telecommunications service concessionaires must submit audited financial statements to the Regulatory Authority within three months of the end of their fiscal year. Under Art. 86.1, concessionaires that provide more than one telecommunications service may comply by either maintaining separate accounts for each service, or maintaining separate accounts by type of service (Type A and Type B). In addition, concessionaires providing mobile cellular telephone services are required to maintain separate accounts for that service.