To register a ".com.hr" domain name, the registry asks that the company registering the domain name be established under Croatian law or that there is administrative contact has a local presence in Croatia (Art. 15 of the Rules on the Organization and Management of the Top National Internet Domain). The latter, with the exception of companies incorporated in a European Union Member State or an individual from a European Union Member State, will be entitled to apply for Croatian country code domain names.

The Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU provides an updated framework aimed at encouraging online sales. The Directive has been implemented by the Consumer Protection Act NN 41/2014.

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

The Directive 2016/943 on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) is key in harmonising national laws concerning trade secrets. In Croatia, the Directive was transposed in the Protection of Undisclosed Information with the Market Value Act of 2018.

According to the Ordinance on Manner and Conditions of Access and Shared Use of Electronic Communications Infrastructure and Other Associated Facilities (NN 36/16), passive sharing is mandated and is effective in both the mobile and fixed sectors.
In addition, Art. 3[2] of the Directive 2014/61/EU establishes that Member States shall ensure that, upon written request of an undertaking providing or authorised to provide public communications networks, any network operator has the obligation to meet all reasonable requests for access to its physical infrastructure under fair and reasonable terms and conditions, including price, with a view to deploying elements of high-speed electronic communications networks. Such written request shall specify the elements of the project for which the access is requested, including a specific time frame.

The Croatian government owns 2.9% of the shares of Hrvatski Telekom. It is reported that in December 2015, following the public auction, CERP sold 500,000 of its shares in the Company (0.6% of HT d.d. share capital) via the Zagreb Stock Exchange trading system. Following this sale of shares, CERP reduced its holding from 3.5% to 2.9%.

It is reported that Croatia mandates functional and accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

It is reported that the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM), 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 European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a comprehensive framework for data protection that applies to all EU Member States. Croatia implemented the GDPR in 2018 through the Law on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Croatia, safe harbours are mainly defined in the Act on Electronic Commerce as implementing Directive 2000/31/EC, therefore covering activities of mere conduit, intermediary storage and hosting. Those aspects are provided in Arts. 16-18 of the Act on Electronic Commerce. In addition, Art. 19 contains an exemption for hyperlinks made available by the service provider.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Croatia, safe harbours are mainly defined in the Act on Electronic Commerce as implementing Directive 2000/31/EC, therefore covering activities of mere conduit, intermediary storage and hosting. Those aspects are provided in Arts. 16-18 of the Act on Electronic Commerce. In addition, Art. 19 contains an exemption for hyperlinks made available by the service provider.

Art. 17 of Directive 2019/790 on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM Directive) mandates that providers of content-sharing services seek authorisation from rights holders and implement technical solutions to remove and prevent unauthorised uploads by their users (so-called upload filters), under penalty of losing their liability safe harbour. Further arrangements are envisaged for complaints and dispute resolution mechanisms. Such upload filters are reported to be a significant cost for online platforms. Graduated exemptions are expected to be put in place for new providers active in the EU for less than three years with a turnover under EUR 10 million and with fewer than five million users. The provision is subject to a challenge in the Court of Justice by Poland (C-401/19).
To implement Directive 2019/790, the Parliament has adopted the Act on Copyright and Related Rights, therefore making online content-sharing service providers partially liable for copyright violations on their platforms.

There is no general principle for the use of copyright-protected material comparable to the fair use/fair dealing principles. Directive 2001/29/EC defines an optional but exhaustive set of limitations from the author´s exclusive rights under the control of the “three-step test” in line with the Berne Convention that establishes three cumulative conditions to the limitations and exceptions of a copyright holder’s rights. The Directive has been transposed by Member States with significant freedom.
Croatia has a clear copyright exception regime, as incorporating European Union Directives relating to copyright. Such limitations are contained in Part IV
(Content limitations on copyright and related rights) of the Copyright Act, which provides, inter alia, the following exceptions:
- Temporary acts of reproduction of the copyrighted work
- Reproduction for private use
- Ephemeral recordings
- Educational and scientific institutions and libraries
- Collections intended for teaching or scientific research
- Use of copyright works for disabled persons
- Use for judicial, administrative or other official proceedings
- Use for teaching
- Use of the copyrighted works to inform the public
- Quotations
- Parodies and caricatures.

Croatia and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty. Croatia ratified the Treaty on 3 July 2000, with its provisions coming into force on 6 March 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.

Croatia and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Croatia ratified the Treaty on 3 July 2000, with its provisions coming into force on 20 May 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.