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

Paraguay does not have a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them. Art. 65 of the Labour Code establishes the employee's obligations to maintain strict confidentiality of technical, commercial and manufacturing secrets of the products in the production of which they are directly or indirectly involved or of which they have knowledge by reason of the work performed, as well as of administrative matters whose disclosure could be detrimental to the company. In addition, the literature indicates that in the absence of special laws for the protection of industrial secrets, Criminal Law has a role since Art. 147 of the Penal Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of "other people's" secrets and industrial or trade secrets.

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

It is reported that the telecommunications sector is open to competition, except for fixed lines and international carrier services, which remain under State monopoly with the "Compañía Paraguaya de Comunicaciones". This is despite full foreign ownership being allowed in the telecommunications sector. In December 2001, as part of the process of “Reorganization of decentralized Public Entities, of reform and modernization of Central Administration Organizations”, provided for by Law 1615/2000, the National Telecommunications Administration (ANTELCO) changed its name to Compañía Paraguaya de Comunicaciones Sociedad Anónima (Copaco S. A.), becoming a 100% state-owned company.

Compañía Paraguaya de Comunicaciones (COPACO S.A.) is the leading fixed-line telephony operator in Paraguay and is wholly state-owned. It is reported that, in December 2001, within the framework of the “Reorganisation of Decentralised Public Entities and the Reform and Modernisation of Central Administration Organisations” established by Law No. 1615/2000, the former National Telecommunications Administration (ANTELCO) was converted into Compañía Paraguaya de Comunicaciones Sociedad Anónima (COPACO S.A.), as a 100% state-owned company. COPACO also owns 100% of the mobile service operator HOLA.

Paraguay does not require operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecommunications sector to implement functional separation. However, it is reported that SMP operators are subject to accounting separation obligations.

Law No. 642 regulates the concession, license or authorisation to provide telecommunication services. According to Art. 70 of the Law No. 642 and Art. 67 of the Decree No. 14135, concessions, licences and authorisations are subject to the payment of a concession fee, which must be paid within 60 days of their grant or renewal, on a one-off basis for each period. In order to sign the concession contract, the concessionaire must provide proof of prior payment of the concession fee, whose amount is established in the CONATEL Board Resolution No. 3523/2024 on the Procedure for Determining the Minimum Amount Payable as Licence, Authorisation, Licence Extension and Licence Renewal Fees under the Demand-Driven Regime Moreover, there is an annual fee for the commercial exploitation of the services, which can be up to 1% of the provider’s gross income. It is also reported that there is a minimum capital requirement to obtain a licence.

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

According to Law No. 642 of Telecommunications, the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

It is reported that, although shareholders of Paraguayan companies may be natural or legal persons regardless of their residence status, directors, managers and legal representatives must be Paraguayan citizens or foreigners with valid residence permits in Paraguay.

According to Art. 8 of Decree No. 14201/2001, which regulates Law No. 1630/2000 on Patents, a patent application must include, inter alia, the name and address of the acting Industrial Property Agent together with their registration number, as well as a simple copy of the power of attorney or instruction document. According to the official website of the National Intellectual Property Directorate (DINAPI), representation by an Industrial Property Agent is mandatory for filing patent applications, and one of the requirements to act as such an agent is to be a lawyer duly registered with the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay.

According to Art. 60 of the Patent Law, all proceedings before the Industrial Property Directorate must be conducted through an Industrial Property Agent registered with the Directorate and domiciled in the capital. According to the official website of the National Intellectual Property Directorate (DINAPI), one of the requirements for acting as an Industrial Property Agent is to be a lawyer duly registered with the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay.

Paraguay is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Paraguay has a copyright regime under the Law No. 1328. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 38-46 list exceptions, including reproduction by reprographic means for teaching or examination purposes in educational institutions and reproduction of a work for judicial or administrative proceedings, provided such reproduction is justified by the intended purpose, among others.

It is reported that online copyright enforcement in Paraguay remains inadequate, with persistent challenges related to effective and consistent prosecutions and judicial actions. Paraguay’s National Directorate of Intellectual Property (DINAPI) has publicly identified audiovisual piracy as a major enforcement and market problem, noting that the illegal retransmission of football matches and other protected audiovisual content is estimated to generate losses of around USD 100 million per year.