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

Laos does not possess a comprehensive legal framework to ensure the effective protection of trade secrets, though certain measures exist to address related issues. Art. 53 of Law No. 50/NA of 20 November 2023 on Intellectual Property (ກົດ​ໝາຍ​ວ່າ​ດ້ວຍ ຊັບ​ສິນ​ທາງ​ປັນ​ຍາ, ເລກທີ 50/ສພຊ, ລົງວັນທີ 20 ພະຈິກ 2023), defines the rights of trade secret proprietors. According to Art. 20, a trade secret is characterised as "secret information which cannot be disclosed regarding a formula, production process, or any information that has commercial value by virtue of not being known among or readily accessible to individuals within the circles that normally deal with the type of information in question." This legislation came into force in January 2024, superseding Law No. 38/NA of 15 November 2017 on Intellectual Property (ກົດ​ໝາຍ​ວ່າ​ດ້ວຍ ຊັບ​ສິນ​ທາງ​ປັນ​ຍາ, ເລກທີ່ 38/NA ຂອງວັນທີ 15 ເດືອນພະຈິກປີ 2017), which included similar provisions in Arts. 20 and 61.
It has been reported that the absence of a dedicated legal framework for the protection and enforcement of trade secrets poses considerable challenges, particularly for foreign entities operating within Laos.

It is reported that Laos has no obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in the country to deliver telecom services to end users. However, it is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements.

In Lao PDR, there are four approved companies offering both fixed and mobile telecommunications services, with a fifth holding a mobile license but presently focusing solely on providing internet access. Each of these companies has a certain degree of government ownership.

It is reported that Laos does not mandate accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there has been an obligation of functional separation since 2014.

Art. 36 of the Law on Telecommunication mandates the following activities to be approved by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications or relevant ministries: i) adjusting its radio frequency spectrum, telecommunication equipment, and networks into the radio frequency spectrum, telecommunication equipment, and networks of other telecommunication service providers; ii) Increasing or decreasing service prices, and iii) using telecommunication resources and import telecommunication equipment. It is reported that since 2022, there has been a new telecom law. However, the text is not available online.

Laos is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.

Art. 9 of Decree No. 296/GOV stipulates that foreign shareholders are prohibited from holding more than 90% of the shares of the legal entity operating an electronic marketplace.

According to Art. 9 of Decree No. 296/GOV, foreign investment in e-commerce requires a minimum registered capital of LAK 10 billion (approx. USD 1 million) and is subject to a maximum limit of 90% of the entity’s shares.

Under Art. 4 of the Law on Investment Promotion, foreign investors may engage in any sector or business except those that the government deems detrimental to national security. Art. 34 specifies that the "Controlled Business List" includes activities that could impact national security, public order, cultural traditions, the environment, society, or nature. Furthermore, Art. 41 defines concession businesses as investments authorised by the government to develop and operate specific projects, including land concessions, special economic zones, export-oriented industrial processing zones, and telecommunications.
The Decree on the Endorsement of the Controlled Business List and the Concession List of Lao PDR details the sectors included in these lists and outlines the investment procedures, classifying the telecom sector as a concession business. Although the Controlled Business List does not currently include sectors relevant to digital trade, Art. 5 of the Decree allows the government to propose updates—improvements, additions, or reductions—of business activities under the Controlled and Concession Lists as needed.
Art. 3 of the Decree requires both domestic and foreign entities seeking to invest in concession-listed activities in Lao PDR to submit their applications to the One-Stop Service Office at either the central or provincial level. The office will review the application and forward it to the Investment Promotion and Supervision Committee. This review process must be completed within 65 days from the date on which the One-Stop Service Office receives all required documents.

Lao PDR is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 and its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

Art. 9 of the Decree of the Prime Minister on Government Procurement of Goods, Construction, Maintenance and Services No. 03/PM stipulates that the use of the national budget for the procurement of foreign goods is not authorised if such goods can be produced locally at equal quality. The regulation also states that local firms are given priority in public procurements of goods, works, and services financed in full with domestic funds. Local firms that are not affiliated with foreign firms and that supply goods, works, and services of equal quality to local firms are given preferential rights in competitive bidding.

Art. 45 of Law No. 30/NA provides that contractors, suppliers or consultants meeting all conditions must be given domestic preference and considered to be awarded the contracts. Clause 14 of Instruction No. 0477/MOF clarifies that domestic preference should apply for international open bidding (international competitive bidding) only, and such given domestic preference must be stipulated in the bidding documents through the following conditions:
- For works and/or maintenance: if a local bidder’s bid price does not exceed 7.5% of an international bidders bid price, the local bidder must be considered as the winning bidder for works and/or maintenance.
- Supply of goods: if, as a result of a comparison, the lowest evaluated bid is a bid from Group C (bids offering goods manufactured abroad and will be directly imported), all bids from Group C must be further compared with the lowest evaluated bid from Group A (bids offering domestically manufactured goods) after adding to the evaluated price of goods offered in each bid from Group C, for the purpose of this further comparison only, an amount not to exceed 15% of the respective bid price. The lowest evaluated price from the final comparison must be selected for the award.

It is reported that the procurement procedures are not transparent. It is not common practice for government purchases to be advertised or bid on openly.