According to Art. 22 of Law No. 20/017, any natural or legal person governed by Congolese law may provide telecommunications services, provided they fulfil the following conditions: (i) have a residence, domicile, or registered head office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; (ii) provide proof of registration in the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM); and (iii) demonstrate the technical and financial capacity to operate under the scheme applied for.
Art. 91 of Law No. 20/017, which resembles Art. 50 of the repealed Law No. 013/2002 on Telecommunications states that intermediaries must cooperate with law enforcement authorities in investigations. The refusal to grant the request of the authority may lead to the temporary or definitive withdrawal of the operating license or other penalties. This buttresses Art. 4 of Decree-Law 1-61, which provides that when it is a matter of national security, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement implies complicity and a "presumption of guilt".

With the Law No. 20/017 of 2020, which governs the telecommunications sector, the government is given the power to take over the means of communication in the interest of national security. Art. 125 provides that the State may prohibit the use of telecommunication facilities, in full or in part, for any period of time, as it deems fit, in the interests of public security or national defence, the public telecommunications service, or for any other reason. In June 2018, the Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information signed a Ministerial Order strengthening the control of online media (Ministerial Order No 011/CAB/M-CM/LOM/2018).

The Democratic Republic of Congo has only partially appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

The DRC lacks a dedicated organization for screening inbound foreign investment. Instead, this responsibility falls upon the Presidency and various ministries, functioning in a de facto capacity.

Section 201 of the Digital Code stipulates that the transfer of personal data to a third country or international organisation requires prior authorisation from the Personal Data Protection Authority, which also undertakes continuous oversight of such transfers. The recipient must provide a level of protection that is both adequate and equivalent to that prescribed by the Digital Code’s provisions on personal data protection. However, Section 202 permits transfers to jurisdictions lacking adequate protection in specific circumstances, including where the data subject has given explicit consent, where the transfer is necessary for the execution of a contract, or where it is essential to safeguard the vital interests of the data subject or another individual, particularly when the data subject is unable, either physically or legally, to provide consent.

According to Art. 18 of Law No. 82-001 on Industrial Property, non-Congolese patent applicants domiciled abroad are obliged to indicate an address for service with a Congolese agent and to work through them.

The DRC is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The DRC has a copyright regime under the Ordinance-Law No. 86-033 on the Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 24-32 list the exceptions, which include reproducing quotations or excerpts of protected works for cultural, scientific, teaching, critical or polemic purposes, provided that the source, title and name of the author are mentioned; the reproduction of photographs in anthologies intended for teaching use and in scientific works shall be authorised; among others.

Although the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has established a legal framework for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), reports suggest that enforcement has been sporadic and inconsistent, leaving IPR effectively unprotected. The challenges in enforcing IPR regulations are attributed to limited institutional capacity and a widespread lack of awareness among both consumers and businesses, resulting in generally weak implementation.

DRC is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).

The 2010 Public Procurement Law provides that a public administration can limit their participation through domestic preference granted to national and regional companies. Art. 37.5 considers nationality, residency, regional presence, and cooperation partners as criteria to provide a preference that would result in a reduction in the tenderer's financial offer. Art. 86 of Decree No. 10/22, laying down guidelines for the application of the Law related to Public Procurement, requires tender offers to explicitly mention "national preference" when publishing tenders that apply this requirement.

DRC is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) nor does it have observer status.