According to the Art. 290 of Executive Decree No. 73, all the equipment that is connected to the public network or used to carry out radioelectric emissions shall be approved for its commercialisation, use and operation. The Regulatory Entity establishes the requirements to ensure adequate compliance with the technical specifications.
According to the Art. 93 of Law 23 of July 15, 1997, the General Direction of Standards and Industrial Technology (DGNTI) is the organisation responsible for technical standardisation and conformity assessment. According to the DGNTI, the document that approves a certificate of conformity shall be issued either by a certification body duly accredited under ISO/IEC 17065 or by an accreditation body with international recognition under the Multilateral Recognition Agreements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
It is reported that products that use radio frequency technology require a type approval by ASEP (Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Públicos) and certification to import and commercialise in Panama. No testing is required, but a homologation process is necessary to obtain ASEP approval. Technical documents will be reviewed and validated in the approval process. The following products are signalled as requiring ASEP approval: transceivers, personal trackers, wireless microphones, mobile phones, Radio Frequency Identification equipment, and radio alarms.

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility. In addition, a safe harbour provision forms a substantial part of the intellectual property chapter in the FTA entered into between the United States of America and Panama (Art. 15.11, para. 27).

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringement. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility.

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

Panama has a copyright regime governed by Law No. 64. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, which limits the lawful use of copyrighted works by others. Art. 67 outlines the exceptions, including performances of works made at home, provided that there is no direct or indirect profit-making interest; performances for the general good during official or religious ceremonies; and performances in educational institutions for exclusively didactic purposes, among others.

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

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

Law No. 35 establishes a framework for the protection of trade secrets. Title IV of the Industrial Property Law regulates commercial and trade secrets and provides for liability for breaches of these provisions. In addition, Title IV of Executive Decree No. 7 of 17 February 1998 further implements and elaborates the rules set out in Law No. 35.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Panama to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements. As established by Art. 1 of the Resolution AN No. 2848-Telco and Annex A on Regulations for the installation, operation, and shared use of towers and/or structures that support telecommunications service antennas.

The government owns 49% of the shares of Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A., a Panamanian telecom company governed by private law.

Panama does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there has been an obligation to separate the accounts since 1997. Pursuant to Art. 86 of "Executive Decree No. 73, which implements Law No. 31 of 8 February 1996 on telecommunications regulation in Panama", telecommunications service concessionaires must submit audited financial statements to the Regulatory Authority within three months of the end of their fiscal year. Under Art. 86.1, concessionaires that provide more than one telecommunications service may comply by either maintaining separate accounts for each service, or maintaining separate accounts by type of service (Type A and Type B). In addition, concessionaires providing mobile cellular telephone services are required to maintain separate accounts for that service.

In Panama, the legal basis for telecommunications licensing is set out in Law No. 31 of 8 February 1996 (Telecommunications Law) and its principal implementing regulation, Executive Decree No. 73 of 9 April 1997, which operationalises the statutory framework. The Telecommunications Law governs the installation, operation, and provision of telecommunications networks and services through concessions and authorisations, and it allocates core supervisory and enforcement powers to the sector regulator, the National Authority for Public Services (ASEP).
The Law establishes a dual regulatory classification. Type A services may be granted by the State under temporary exclusivity or to a limited number of concessionaires (Art. 7(1)), whereas Type B services are generally provided under conditions of free competition (Art. 7(2)). Consistent with this classification, ASEP identifies Type A services, including personal communication services and mobile services, while Type B services encompass a broader range of activities, including, inter alia, basic international telecommunications and fixed and mobile radio communications, among others.
In addition, Art. 1 of Law No. 36 imposes sector-specific constraints on licensing in mobile telephony by limiting the number of concessions to operate mobile telephony services to three, thereby consolidating the market structure.

Panama has not appended the WTO Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Públicos (ASEP, National Public Service Authority), the executive authority responsible for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent of the government in its decision-making.

Under Art. 5 of Law No. 81/2019, the transfer of personal data of a confidential, sensitive or restricted nature by the company responsible for the database or its custodian shall be permitted, provided that the company and/or its country of residence provide a level of protection comparable to that of Law No. 81; or if the transferring entity takes all necessary steps to ensure that the data will be protected in a manner consistent with the Law No. 81 through contracts, codes of conduct or applicable international standards. Art. 5 lists the following exemptions: when the data subject has given their consent; in the case of bank, money, stock market or securities transfers; when the transfer of the information is required by law or in order to comply with international treaties ratified by the Republic of Panama; and when the transfer is necessary for the conclusion or execution of a contract concluded or to be celebrated by the interested party or in their interest.