Under Art. 13 of the consolidated text of Law No. 22 of 2006, introduced by Law No. 153 of 8 May 2020, contracting entities acquiring goods and services must first consider the viability, availability and quality of goods and services produced in Panama.
In addition, Art. 7 of Executive Decree No. 439 of 10 September 2020 requires contracting entities to specify in the tender documents that the goods or services must be of Panamanian origin, production, processing, manufacture or provision where the procurement falls outside the applicable coverage of Panama’s international agreements, taking into account the relevant monetary thresholds, covered entities and goods or services.

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

Art. 10 of Law No. 22 provides that the State must promote the competitive participation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in certain acts of contractor selection carried out by public institutions.
Art. 88 of Executive Decree No. 439 further elaborates on the provision mentioned above, stating that in the case of minor procurement acts, the entity must select the proposal submitted by the micro or small enterprises, provided that it complies with the requirements and demands of the tender documents and the proposed price is not greater than 5 % in relation to the lowest price proposal submitted by another type of enterprise.

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.

It is reported that transparency and accountability deficits persist in Panama’s government procurement practices. Foreign investors have complained about a lack of transparency since at least 2015. More specifically, since 2019, firms have reported delayed payments by government ministries and procurement procedures in which tender requirements may change during the bidding process, creating the perception that certain tenders are tailored to particular companies. Law 153 of 8 May 2020 amended the public procurement framework with the stated objective of modernising procurement and strengthening transparency, including through the PanamaCompra electronic system. Nevertheless, concerns regarding transparency, procedural delays and government non-payment continued to be reported through 2025.
Separately, investors have reported corruption in the private sector and at different levels of government, including the overbilling of purchase orders or the retention of percentages from them.

Panama 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 1997.

Art. 21 of Law No. 31 of 1996 authorises majority private foreign participation in the capital of telecommunications companies. However, a foreign government, or an enterprise or consortium dominated, controlled or majority-owned by a foreign government, may not provide telecommunications services or hold a direct or indirect majority interest in a telecommunications operator.

Pursuant to Art. 29 of Law No. 35, a patent application must be filed through a lawyer using the form provided by the Directorate General of the Industrial Property Registry of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DIGERPI). For applicants residing abroad, the application must also designate an address in the Republic of Panama for administrative and judicial notifications, and be accompanied by proof of payment of the applicable fee and filing fee.

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 is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996, but is not a signatory of its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

The Federal Law of Consumer Protection provides a comprehensive consumer protection framework that applies to online transactions. Art. 1, number VIII, enshrines consumer protection in digital transactions as a fundamental principle. Chapter VIII, BIS, of this law sets out consumer rights in transactions by means of electronic, optical, and other technologies. In addition, the Code of Commerce allows the use and validity of electronic signatures (whether simple or advanced) in any commercial or consumer transaction. Furthermore, the Federal Civil Code also establishes that, if express consent is required, it may be given by electronic means or any other technology.

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