Section 19.2 of the Investment Code Act gives the minister powers to restrict participation by foreigners in certain investments in Uganda. Even though this is not specific to digital services, this provision opens up possibilities for restrictions in this sector.

According to Arts. 15 and 16 of the Investment Code Act of 2019, investors must meet the minimum capital investment requirements as a precondition for investment registration. Although the Act does not specify a fixed threshold, it is reported that Uganda applies a minimum capital requirement of USD 250,000 for foreign investors seeking investment registration.

According to Art. 19 of the Investment Code Act of 2019, foreign investors are required to register with the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) prior to engaging in or operating any investment activity in Uganda. Section 17 provides for the requirements for the application of an investment licence, including local content requirements, which every investor must meet before an investment certificate can be issued. These are:
- A certificate of registration of the business;
- Business plan which must include the name of the investment and detailed information on the type of investment; the action plan; the date of commencement of operations; detailed information on raw materials sourced in the country or in the locality where the investment is to operate; detailed information on any financing and assets to be sourced from outside Uganda, including the timeframe in which these finances and assets shall be invested; land requirement for the investment; the location of the investment; utilities required for the investment; a market survey; details of the projected technology; and knowledge transfer;
- An environmental impact assessment certificate issued in accordance with the relevant laws;
- The projected number of employees; and
- A license granted by the business sector in which the investor intends to operate.

According to Section 21.3 (2) of the Industrial Property Act of 2014, an applicant whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Uganda is obliged to be represented by an advocate of the High Court of Uganda to file a patent application in the country.

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

Uganda has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair use model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Section 15 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act No. 19 of 2006 establishes a list of exceptions that includes the use of a work for purposes of production, translation, adaptation, arrangement or other transformation solely for private personal use; the incorporation of a quotation from a published work, including those from newspapers or periodicals in the form of a press summary, in another work; and the use of a published work for educational purposes, provided that an appropriate illustration is made and the work and its author are acknowledged, among other situations.

Ugandan law includes provisions for the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR); however, enforcement mechanisms are reportedly weak. The country faces significant capacity constraints in preventing piracy, leading to frequent and widespread instances of IPR infringement.

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

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

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

Under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003 of Uganda, open international bidding is a procurement method designed to ensure broad and competitive participation, including from foreign providers. According to Art. 2 and Art. 81, this method may be employed in place of open domestic bidding when effective competition cannot be achieved without the involvement of foreign bidders or when their participation is likely to enhance value for money.
Furthermore, under Art. 16 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (Procurement of Consultancy Services) Regulations, 2023, open international bidding may be used instead of open domestic bidding where competition may not be effective without foreign consultants or consulting firms or where involvement of foreign consultants or consulting firms in the bidding process may increase value for money.

Section 50.2 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act provides that specified public procurement contracts or parts of an agreement shall be subject to reservation schemes. The Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authorit must specify the public procurement contracts to be subject to a reservation scheme and designate the particular sectors within a specified geographical area that are eligible to participate in the reservation scheme (Section 59B).

Section 50 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act provides that, subject to the economic and social policies of the Government and the international obligations of the Government, preference is given to domestically manufactured goods and Ugandan contractors and Ugandan consultants in order to promote their development, by giving them a competitive advantage when competing for public procurement contracts, with foreign manufactured goods, foreign contractors or foreign consultants. Moreover, Section 59A(3) states that in the procurement of goods, works, or services through open tendering, a margin of preference of up to 15% for goods and up to 7% for works or services applies.

Foreign firms reportedly continue to identify corruption as a significant barrier to business and investment in Uganda. Corruption in government procurement processes is particularly problematic for foreign companies seeking to participate in public tenders or bid on government contracts.