It is reported that investors encounter challenges in registering patents and having rules against infringement of their property rights enforced promptly due to weak enforcement of patents' rights, stemming from inadequate capacity and knowledge of intellectual property law by the justice sector.

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

Law No. 055/2024 on the Protection of Intellectual Property establishes a clear framework for copyright exceptions, following the fair use model. This allows the lawful use of copyrighted works by others without the need for permission. Arts. 291–304 of the law detail these exceptions, which include, among others, private reproduction, temporary reproduction, quotation, reproduction by libraries, use for judicial purposes, importation for personal use, and reproduction for individuals with visual or other disabilities. Additionally, Section 4.7 of the Guidelines for Intellectual Property Registration underscores that the fair use doctrine permits the use of limited portions of a work—such as quotes—for purposes like commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly research. This provision enables the use of protected works for educational, critical, and journalistic purposes without requiring consent from the rights holder. Prior to the enactment of Law No. 055/2024, the Guidelines for Intellectual Property Registration complemented Law No. 31/2009 on the Protection of Intellectual Property, particularly Arts. 203–215, which outlined limitations on economic rights, including a comprehensive list of copyright limitations and exceptions.

Rwanda has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Rwanda has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Law No. 055/2024 on the Protection of Intellectual Property provides a framework for the effective protection of trade secrets. According to Art. 276, any act or practice, in the course of industrial or commercial activities, that results in the disclosure, acquisition, or use by others of secret information without the consent of the rightful holder and in a manner contrary to honest commercial practices constitutes an act of unfair competition. Under Art. 277 of the Law, an intellectual property owner harmed, or likely to be harmed, by an act of unfair competition has the right to initiate civil proceedings before the competent court or to request the cessation of such an act where, through an act contrary to honest industrial and commercial use, a manufacturer, trader, producer, or craftsman damages his or her credibility, takes away his or her customers, or harms his or her capacity for competition. Furthermore, as specified in Art. 380, any person who performs an act of unfair competition with respect to intellectual property commits an offence. Upon conviction, he or she is liable to a fine of not less than FRW 7,000,000 (approx. USD 5,300) but not more than FRW 10,000,000 (approx. USD 7,600).

Under the Guidelines for Siting and Sharing of Telecommunication Base Station Infrastructure (2011) and Law No. 24/2016 of 18/06/2016 Governing Information and Communication Technologies, Rwanda has established a regulatory obligation for passive infrastructure sharing to support the delivery of telecommunications services to end users.
According to Section 4.2.4, when requested by another licensee, each operator or service provider must disclose complete information on the location and technical specifications of their towers within a maximum of 10 working days. Furthermore, within an additional 10 working days, the operator must grant escorted access to the site upon request by another licensee seeking to assess the feasibility of infrastructure sharing.
Furthermore, pursuant to Art. 71 of Law No. 24/2016 licensed network operators must share the use of their electronic communications infrastructures on agreed upon terms and conditions.

In 2013, the Rwandan government and Korean Telecom (KT) entered into a 25-year agreement to establish a 4G wholesale network in the country. As part of the partnership, the Rwandan government acquired a 49% stake in KT Rwanda networks Ltd (KTRN), with the remaining 51% owned by Korean Telecom.

Uganda does not implement any de minimis threshold, which is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties. However, local authorities have indicated that, as early as 2009, goods valued at USD 50 or below have not been subject to import taxes in practice. This informal practice is not established in any publicly available legal or regulatory instrument and appears to be implemented through internal memos issued to staff for operational purposes.

According to Art. 29 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act and Section 15 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, any person intending to act as a data controller or data processor must register with the Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO). As specified in Section 16 of the Regulations, data controllers and data processors are required to submit the following information for registration:
- State the name of the applicant;
- State the name and address of the applicant’s representative, where the applicant is a foreigner or situated outside Uganda;
- Specify whether the applicant is a data collector, data processor or data controller;
- State the address of the applicant;
- Specify the nature and category of personal data being processed or to be processed;
- Specify the purpose for which the applicant collects or processes personal data;
- Contain any other information that the Office may require.
This registration requirement, including the obligation to designate a local representative where the applicant is a foreigner or situated outside Uganda, applies to all digital operators, as confirmed by the recent Ssekamwa v Google LLC case, where Google was fined for failing to comply with these requirements.

The Electronic Transactions Act provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions. Sections 24-28 set consumer protection requirements for ICT suppliers, including providing relevant information such as the legal names, addresses of the supplier(s), price, description, and applicable warranties of products, as well as provisions for cancellation of electronic transactions.

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

Uganda has adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Uganda has adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.