Database

Browse Database

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since July 2013

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Maximum foreign equity share
Law No. 2013-546 of July 30, 2013 on E-commerce (Loi No. 2013-546 du 30 juillet 2013 relative aux transactions électroniques )
Law No. 2013-546 does not lay down any obligations regarding the maximum share of foreign capital for investment.
Coverage Horizontal

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since March 2012

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Commercial presence requirement for digital services providers
Ordinance No. 2012-293 on Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies (Ordonnance No. 2012-293 relative aux Télécommunications et aux Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication)
Ordinance No. 2012-293 provides for licenses under which a company is allowed to establish, operate networks or provide telecommunications services. Obtaining an individual license is subject to the following conditions: being a legal entity under Ivorian law, having the technical and financial capacity, having an operating plan for the individual license that complies with the criteria established in the specifications, committing to comply with the applicable law, in particular, this Ordinance and its implementing provisions, as well as the specifications appended to the license for which it applies (Art. 9). In practice, however, this requirement does not seem to prevent foreign providers from offering their services across borders.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since February 1999, entry into force in February 2002, last amended in December 2015
Since December 2019, entry into force in March 2020

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Practical or legal restrictions related to the application process for patents
Bangui Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African Intellectual Property Organization, Constituting a Revision of the Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Bangui (Central African Republic), 2 March 1977) (Accord de Bangui relatif à la création d'une organization Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, constituant révision de l'Accord relatif à la création d'un Office Africain et Malgache de la Propriété Industrielle (Bangui (République centrafricaine), le 2 mars 1977)

Regulations on the Profession of Authorised Agent Before the African Intellectual Property Organization (Règlement sur la profession de Mandataire agréé auprès de l'Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle)
According to the Bangui Agreement, ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Côte d'Ivoire, applicants resident outside the territory of the Member States must file through an agent selected in one of those Member States (Section III, Art. 8). The professional status of agent accredited to the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is governed by the Regulations on the profession of Authorised Agent before the OAPI.
Coverage Horizontal

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since April 1991

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Participation in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Côte d'Ivoire is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Coverage Horizontal

COTE D'IVOIRE

Since March 1977, as amended in December 2015, entry into force in November 2020
Since July 2016, entry into force in October 2016

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Copyright law with clear exceptions
Bangui Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African Intellectual Property Organization, Constituting a Revision of the Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Bangui (Central African Republic), 2 March 1977) (Accord de Bangui relatif à la création d'une organization Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, constituant révision de l'Accord relatif à la création d'un Office Africain et Malgache de la Propriété Industrielle (Bangui (République centrafricaine), le 2 mars 1977)

Law No. 2016-555 of 26 July 2016 on Copyright and Related Rights (Loi No. 2016-555 du 26 juillet 2016 relative aux droits d'auteurs et des droits voisins)
The Revised Bangui Agreement is a regional intellectual property law that is not only a regional convention applicable in all member states but also serves as a national intellectual property law in Côte d'Ivoire and each of the other member states. The Revised Bangui Agreement contains provisions on copyright in Annex VII: Chapter IV (Limitations to Economic Rights) and establishes a regime of copyright exceptions. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. In addition, Arts. 24-35 of Law No. 2016-555 also provides for limitations and exceptions to copyright.
Coverage Horizontal

COTE D'IVOIRE

Reported in 2022, last reported in 2023

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Enforcement of copyright online
Lack of adequate enforcement of copyright online
It is reported that inadequate enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights remains a serious concern in Côte d'Ivoire due to limited resources.
Coverage Horizontal

COTE D'IVOIRE

N/A

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Adoption of the WIPO Copyright Treaty
Lack of signature of the WIPO Copyright Treaty
Côte d'Ivoire has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
Lack of adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
Congo has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures
Lack of adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures
Congo has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

Since October 2015

Pillar Technical standards applied to ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Self-certification for product safety
Supplier Declaration of Conformity not allowed for foreign businesses
Certification of conformity must be approved by the Congolese Agency of Normalization and Quality (ACONOQ). ACONOQ is responsible for certifying the conformity of products, goods, services, management systems, and personnel competencies to standards. Furthermore, all imports into Congo must have a conformity certificate issued by ACONOQ. Although the homologation process does not require local labouratory testing or contact with local representatives, product samples must be submitted to the authority for inspection.
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

Since November 2009

Pillar Technical standards applied to ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Restrictions on encryption standards
Law No. 9-2009 of 25 November 2009 on Electronic Communication Sector (Loi No. 9-2009 du 25 Novembre 2009 Portant Réglementation du Secteur des Communications Électroniques)
Art. 145 of the Law on Electronic Communication mandates the persons or suppliers of cryptology services to disclose the technical characteristics of the source code of the software to be used by the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI).
Coverage Cryptology service

CONGO

Since December 2018, enter into force in March 2019
Since June 2019

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator Restrictions on online payments
Regulation No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM of 21 December 2018 on Foreign Exchange Regulations in CEMAC (Règlement No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM du 21 décembre 2018 portant réglementation des changes dans la CEMAC)

Instruction No. 8/GR/2019 on the Conditions and Modalities for the Use of Electronic Payment Instruments Outside CEMAC (Instruction No. 008/GR/2019 relative aux conditions et modalités d'utilisation à l'extérieur de la CEMAC des instruments de paiement électronique)
According to the Instruction No. 8/GR/2019 issued by the Governor of the Bank of Central African States to facilitate the interpretation and implementation of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) Regulation 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM, there is a limit of 1 million XAF (approx. USD 1,700) per month and per person for the remote settlement of transactions, including online payments. According to Arts. 7-8, justification needs to be provided above this limit. The Instruction provides guidance on the provision of Art. 34 of the Regulation, which implements certain limits for using electronic payment instruments outside the CEMAC and applies to the six CEMAC member states, including Congo.
Coverage Electronic payment instruments

CONGO

Reported in 2022, last reported in 2024

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator Threshold for ‘De Minimis’ rule
Low de minimis threshold
It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 12, below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator Framework for consumer protection applicable to online commerce
Lack of comprehensive consumer protection law applicable to online commerce
Congo does not have a legal framework that applies consumer protection to online transactions.
Coverage Horizontal

CONGO

Since January 2014, entry into force in August 2014

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Indicator Ratification of the UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts
UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts
Congo has signed and ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.
Coverage Horizontal

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