In accordance with Art. 35 of the Law No. 397-II, natural persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Uzbekistan or foreign legal entities can only apply for patents of industrial property objects through patent attorneys registered with the Agency for Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Also, it is reported that an application should be filed in Uzbek or Russian language. If the application is filed in any other foreign language, the translation into Uzbek or Russian thereof should be provided within two months from the date of filing.

In accordance with Art. 35 of Law No. 397-II, natural persons permanently residing outside the Republic of Uzbekistan or foreign legal entities shall perform legally significant actions in connection with patents through patent attorneys registered with the Agency for Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Moreover, it is reported that while Uzbekistan’s legal framework for patent protection is generally sufficient, enforcement remains one of the biggest challenges.

Uzbekistan is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). However, the country does not consider itself bound by Art. 59 related to disputes. It should be noted that this treaty was signed in 1970 when Uzbekistan was still part of the Soviet Union. Upon gaining independence, Uzbekistan issued a declaration of continued application, with the date of entry into force set as December 1991, corresponding to the country's independence.

Uzbekistan has a copyright regime under the Act No. LRU-42. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. The exceptions are listed in Arts. 25-33 and include the reproduction of works for personal use, the free use of works indicating the name of the author, the use of works by reprographic reproduction, the free use of works permanently located in places open to the public, free public performance of works, the use of works for the purposes of pre-investigation checks, preliminary inquiries, preliminary investigations, administrative and judicial proceedings, free short-term recording produced by broadcasting organisations, free reproduction and adaptation of computer software or databases.

It is reported that, despite the country continuing to improve its copyright legal framework, there is a lack of effective and transparent procedures to avoid piracy in relation to the use of software by the government.

Uzbekistan has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty in July 2019.

Annex 3 of Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 41 establishes the procedure for granting preferences to goods and services of local production in public procurement. Clauses 4-6 provide that price preference for local producers is applied if two or more local producers, along with foreign suppliers, participate in a tender. The price preference shall be provided in the amount of 15% for each lot and shall apply to economic entities engaged in industrial production and provision of services in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II). In fact, the country is not a member of the WTO.

Annex 2 of Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 41 bans the import of 529 categories of goods and certain services through public procurement processes. The list currently includes household electrical appliances.

Decree No. 356/014 sets some rules regarding the de minimis threshold, which is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties. According to Arts. 3-4 of the Decree, the de minimis threshold for purchases made by non-express mail is USD 50, while for purchases made by express mail, it is USD 200. Moreover, the de minimis applies under certain conditions: only up to 3 purchases per year, for non-commercial purposes, by a natural person of legal age with a valid Uruguayan identity card, and when the gross weight of the items does not exceed 20 kilograms.

In accordance with Art. 9 of the Technical Instructions: Registration of Names under the ".UY" Domain, the applicant for a domain name registration must communicate the registered address of the holder(s) and the address in Uruguay for contractual and extra-contractual purposes of these instructions.

The Consumer Relations and Consumer Defence Law provides a comprehensive consumer protection framework that applies to online transactions. The law covers competition, product and user safety, environmental concerns, and financial regulations.

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

Uruguay has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.