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

The Copyright Ordinance of 1962 establishes a clear framework of copyright exceptions based on the fair dealing model, allowing the lawful use of copyrighted works by others without prior permission. Section 57, introduced through the 2000 amendment, outlines these exceptions, which include uses such as research or private study, criticism or review, and the public reading or recitation of reasonable excerpts from published literary or dramatic works, among others.

Papua New Guinea lacks a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions.

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

Papua New Guinea enacted the Electronic Transactions Act, drawing upon the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Papua New Guinea enacted the Electronic Transactions Act, drawing upon the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

Papua New Guinea permits self-certification of ICT equipment compliance, including, where relevant, radio transmission requirements and electromagnetic compatibility/interference (EMC/EMI), through a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) submitted under NICTA’s type approval/registration framework. Under NICTA’s Type Approval Guideline (TA100 G), the SDoC is a written undertaking by the registered dealer that the apparatus complies with specified requirements and standards, and expressly indicates that the dealer has performed its own conformity assessment on the basis of independent test data or certification from the manufacturer or an accredited or internationally recognised test laboratory, applying standards recognised by NICTA.
The Guideline requires that type approval/registration applications be accompanied by an SDoC, together with any Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and supporting test reports or certificates (including EMC and EMR reports, where applicable). However, the detailed supporting documentation underpinning the SDoC is generally retained by the supplier and needs only to be provided to NICTA upon request.

According to Art. 21.4 of the Customs Regulation 1951, the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is PGK 250 (approx. USD 60). This threshold remains below the USD 200 threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The ".pg" registry (administered by the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, PNGUoT) regulates registrations through registry instruments, including the ".pg" Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and the Registrant Agreement. According to Section 4 of the Agreement, registrants must provide a set of information to PNGUoT or its registrar, including a valid address. It is reported that applicants must have a local representative or local presence in the country.

According to Art. 4 of the Commercial Advertisement (Protection of Local Industry) Act, advertising material intended for publication in the country must be produced, created or placed for publication by: (i) citizens resident in the country; (ii) non-citizens who are ordinarily resident and either occupy a position approved under the Employment of Non-citizens Act 1978 or hold a valid work permit for that purpose; or (iii) corporations registered in the country, including foreign enterprises that have obtained a certificate under Section 25 of the Investment Promotion Act 1992 specifically for producing and placing advertising material.
Subject to the Act, advertising material – or any of its parts – produced or created outside the country may not be published domestically in newspapers, cinemas, on radio, broadcast or cable television, or by any other means. However, under Art. 5, where the technical facilities or means of production required for certain advertising material are not available in the country, that material may, to the extent of such technical unavailability, be produced abroad for subsequent publication in the country.

The National Information and Communication Technology Act 2009 establishes an operator licensing framework that comprises three types of licences, including application licences (Art. 4). According to Schedule 1 of the National Information and Communication Technology (Operator Licensing) Regulation, the scope of application licences includes, inter alia, the provision of IP telephony services. Under Art. 48, only “eligible corporations” and individuals who are citizens of Papua New Guinea may apply for, and hold, these operator licences. For this purpose, an “eligible corporation” is defined in Art. 4 as a foreign or domestic body corporate that (a) is incorporated in Papua New Guinea and (b) holds a certificate under Sections 29 or 36E of the Investment Promotion Act 1992.

It is reported that, in December 2025, Papua New Guinea’s National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) formally instructed SpaceX (the parent company of Starlink Internet Services PNG Limited) to cease the provision of Starlink satellite services in Papua New Guinea, citing its statutory obligations under the National Information and Communications Technology Act 2009. Starlink is reportedly not licensed to operate in Papua New Guinea. Accordingly, NICTA has stated that the importation, supply, installation, operation, or use of Starlink terminals and related services in Papua New Guinea is strictly prohibited pending completion of the licensing process and the resolution of the relevant legal constraints.

According to Art. 180 of the National Information and Communication Technology Act 2009, engaging in “regulated conduct” – including dealing in (importing), letting on hire or loan, or repairing or adjusting any apparatus identified in the Radio Spectrum Regulations that is used to transmit radiocommunications – is subject to a radiocommunications licence.
This is also confirmed in Sections 1 and 3 of the Guidelines for Radio Dealers Licence, which states that, under the National ICT (Radio Spectrum) Regulation 2010, a Radio Dealers Licence should be granted by the National Information and Communication Technology Authority (NICTA).

Papua New Guinea does not mandate functional or accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

Papua New Guinea has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.