Armenia has a copyright regime under the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Copyright and Related Rights. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, thereby limiting the lawful use of copyrighted works by others. Arts. 22–26 and 36 set out the exceptions, including quotation for research or informational purposes, educational use, private non-commercial reproduction of works (with certain exclusions), and short-term recordings by broadcasting organisations, among others.
It has been reported that a new Law on Copyright has been drafted and submitted for the government’s approval, although the legal text is not publicly available online.

Although Armenian legislation provides protection for intellectual property rights (IPR), enforcement remains challenging. It is reported that in 2023, Armenia had the highest rate of unlicensed software in the region, at 79%, followed by the Republic of Moldova (77%) and Belarus (76%). While the Armenian government has made some progress in addressing IPR issues, further strengthening of enforcement mechanisms is reportedly necessary.

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

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

Armenia lacks a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them. Under Art. 141 of the Civil Code, information qualifies as a commercial secret when it has actual or potential commercial value by virtue of being unknown to third persons, is not freely accessible on a lawful basis, and is subject to measures taken by its holder to preserve its confidentiality. Such information is protected under the Civil Code and other statutes, and persons who unlawfully obtain it are required to compensate for any resulting losses.
Furthermore, pursuant to Art. 1164 of the Code, the legal protection of undisclosed information—including technical, organisational, or commercial information such as production secrets or know-how—arises when the conditions in Art. 141 are met, regardless of whether any formalities, such as registration or certification, have been completed. Art. 1165 further establishes that any person who, without legal grounds, obtains, discloses, or uses such information must compensate the lawful holder for the losses caused by its illegal use.

It is reported that there is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Armenia to deliver telecom services to end users. It is reported that infrastructure sharing is practised in the mobile sector based on commercial agreements.
According to Art. 25 of Law No. HO-176-N of 2005 on Electronic Communications, dominant operators holding a line facility are required to lease their capacity to other operators on equal and non-discriminatory terms. They must publish information on the location and available capacity of their line facilities and respond to written requests for leasing within 14 days. The law further obliges dominant operators to ensure that all conditions and requirements for the use of a line facility are identical across all operators, thereby preventing preferential treatment. Under Art. 2 of the law, a “line facility” is defined as the part of a public electronic communications network permanently attached to the land or the bottom of a body of water, including, but not limited to, cables, wires, conduits, ducts, radio towers or pole attachments, and the necessary cross-connections.

The government holds a 20% minority stake in Viva Armenia, the country’s major mobile operator. This shareholding originated in 2024, when Fedilco Group Limited, having acquired Viva Armenia from the Russia-based MTS, transferred a 20% stake to the Armenian government as a gift. Although the government has reportedly expressed plans to divest this share, it currently retains ownership.

Armenia imposes functional and accounting separation obligations on operators with SMP-equivalent status, referred to in the Law on Electronic Communications as operators holding a “dominant position.” Under Arts. 22–23, the regulator determines which operators or service providers are dominant in the relevant electronic communications markets. Pursuant to Art. 36(2), each dominant operator must maintain separate accounts in a form that enables the regulator to assess compliance with interconnection obligations. In addition, Art. 24 empowers the regulator to require dominant operators or dominant service providers to provide competitive services through fully separated subsidiaries or affiliates, to implement structural separation between dominant and competitive activities, and to adopt other separation safeguards where necessary to protect competition.

Armenia has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

The Public Service Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Armenia (PSRC), established under the Law on Public Services Regulation of 2003, serves as the executive authority responsible for supervising and administering telecommunications services. The PSRC is reportedly independent from the government in its decision-making processes.

Section I, Clause 3 of Government Decree No. 1521-N prescribes obligations for the official websites of governmental agencies. Although the provision does not explicitly mandate that such websites be hosted within the territory of the Republic of Armenia, it strongly implies this requirement through several stipulations. Specifically, it designates hosting to be undertaken by state bodies, internet service providers operating within Armenia, or the National Security Service (RA NSS). In addition, the requirement for prior coordination and approval by the RA NSS for both hosting and publication indicates that hosting should remain under the jurisdiction of Armenian authorities. The decree neither references nor provides exceptions for hosting outside the Republic of Armenia.

Section 3 of Decision No. 884‑L stipulates that, where state information systems, data, and information under the control of public administration bodies are hosted in a cloud environment located outside Armenia, a backup copy must be retained within Armenia, using the minimum necessary server infrastructure. In addition, Section 9 of the Annex provides that, when selecting a cloud environment for hosting an official website, preference shall, all other conditions being equal, be given to server infrastructure located within Armenia.

Under Art. 27 of Law No. ZR-49, personal data may be transferred to another country with the data subject’s consent or where such transfer is necessary for, or arises from, the purposes of processing personal data. Transfers may occur without the Agency’s authorisation if the destination state ensures an adequate level of data protection, either through compliance with ratified international treaties or inclusion in a list published by the competent authority, which the Personal Data Protection Agency (PDPA) must review and update at least annually; as of July 2024, this list includes, among others, all EU Member States and the United States. Transfers to states lacking adequate protection require prior authorisation from the Agency, based on an agreement containing safeguards approved by the Agency as ensuring adequate protection. To obtain such authorisation, the data processor must submit a written application to the PDPA specifying the destination country, recipient details, a description of the personal data, the purposes of processing and transfer, and the relevant contract or draft contract.

Armenia has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders.