The Philippines has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows fair use, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission (Republic Act No. 8293). Sections 184-190 list the exceptions, which include the recitation or performance of a work once it has been lawfully made accessible to the public if done privately and free of charge or if made strictly for a charitable or religious institution or society; the making of quotations from a published work if they are compatible with fair use and only to the extent justified for the purpose, including quotations from newspaper articles and periodicals in the form of press summaries; the reproduction or communication to the public by mass media of articles on current political, social, economic, scientific or religious topic, lectures, addresses and other works of the same nature; among others.

Copyright is not adequately enforced online in the Philippines. Although the country has made progress in intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement since 2014, rights holders have raised concerns about increasing online piracy, ineffective IP enforcement due to limited capacity and expertise, and slow prosecution and conviction of cases.

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

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

Sections 23.5.1.1 and 24.3.1 of the 2016 Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9184 provide that partnerships, corporations, and joint ventures with at least 60% Filipino ownership are considered eligible bidders for public procurement of goods and services. However, the procurement of infrastructure projects is more restrictive, which can discourage foreign contractors from participating in digital infrastructure, such as cloud services. Foreign contractors (those with less than 75% Filipino ownership) are allowed only when provided for under any treaty or international or executive agreement or if they form a joint venture with local contractors (Subsection 23.4.2). These provisions have been in force since the first Implementing Rules and Regulations of 2003.

The Government Procurement Reform Act acts as the enabling framework for preferential procurement by virtue of Art. XII, Section 43. In the interest of availability, efficiency and timely delivery of goods, the procuring entity may give preference to the purchase of domestically produced and manufactured goods, supplies and materials that meet the specified or desired quality. Rule XII of the Implementing Rules and Regulations outlines the implementation and process of preferential procurement, wherein the procurement award should be made to the lowest domestic bid, provided that it is not more than 15% in excess of the lowest foreign bid. The 2003 IRR only provided for a general preference.

Section 24.3.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 specifies that, in cases where consulting services involve regulated professions, the individuals actually performing these services must be Filipino citizens and registered professionals, authorised by the appropriate regulatory body to practice the relevant professions and their associated fields. Although this provision was initially introduced in the 2003 IRR, it previously applied only to partnerships, corporations, and joint ventures. Under the 2009 IRR, however, the provision effectively prohibits foreign consultants from directly providing their professional services in these regulated areas.

The Philippines is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). However, the country has been an observer of the WTO GPA since 2019.

Section 11 of Article XVI of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines mandates that the ownership and management of mass media must be restricted to Filipino citizens or corporations entirely owned and managed by Filipinos. In 2018, it was reported that the Philippine government revoked the operating licence of Rappler, one of the country’s leading news websites, alleging that the organisation had violated the constitutional provision restricting media ownership to Philippine citizens. As of September 2023, the appeal against this decision remained pending before the Court of Appeals.

According to List A of the Twelfth Regular Foreign Investment Negative List and Section 5 of the Retail Trade Liberalisation Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 11595, foreign investment in small retail enterprises is restricted to Philippine nationals. Retail trade businesses with capital below USD 500,000 are exclusively reserved for Filipino citizens. In addition, Section 3 of Rule III of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Retail Trade Liberalisation Act explicitly stipulates that this limitation extends to foreign retailers operating solely through online platforms.

The Foreign Investment Act requires the publication of the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) every two years, which outlines sectors in which foreign investment is restricted. According to List B of the 2022 FINL, up to 40% foreign equity is allowed in micro and small domestic market enterprises with paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of USD 200,000 and micro and small domestic market enterprises that involve advanced technology or are endorsed as startup or startup enablers by state agencies; or those whose majority of direct employees are Filipinos provided that their Filipino employees should not be less than 15, and with a paid-in equity capital of less than the equivalent of USD 100,000.

The Foreign Investment Act requires the publication of the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) every two years, which outlines sectors in which foreign investment is restricted. According to List A of the 2022 FINL, advertising is limited to 30% foreign equity.

Section 4 of the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines (RA 11232) mandates a residency requirement for select corporate officers, namely the treasurer and the secretary.

Section 142 of the Corporations Act establishes that a foreign corporation applying for a license to transact business in the Philippines shall submit to the Commission the address, including the street number, of the principal office of the corporation in the country or State of incorporation; the name and address of its resident agent authorised to accept summons and process in all legal proceedings and all notices affecting the corporation, pending the establishment of a local office; and the place in the Philippines where the corporation intends to operate.

According to Section 33 of the Republic Act No. 8293, an applicant who is not a resident of the Philippines must appoint and maintain a resident agent or representative in the Philippines upon whom notice or process for judicial or administrative procedure relating to the application for patent or the patent may be served.