Azerbaijan has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Law No. 224‑IIG provides a framework for effective protection of trade secrets.

There is no obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Azerbaijan to deliver telecom services to end users. However, it is reported that infrastructure sharing is practised in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

It is reported that the government retains control over several major state‑owned enterprises in the telecommunications sector, including Aztelekom, AzInTelecom, and Azercosmos. These enterprises are currently overseen through the Azerbaijan Transport and Communications Holding (AZCON), which was established by the government for this purpose.

Art. 48 of the Law on Public Procurement provides that the contracting authority may employ the request‑for‑quotations procedure for the procurement of items that have an existing and readily accessible market. Depending on the estimated contract value, this procedure must be conducted among specific supplier categories, and only their bids may be considered. Where the estimated value does not exceed 30,000 manats (approx. USD 17.600), participation is limited to suppliers classified as micro or small business entities. Where the estimated value ranges from 30,000 to 100,000 manats (approx. USD 58.800), suppliers classified as micro, small, or medium‑sized business entities may participate.

Art. 38.10 of the Law on Public Procurement stipulates that the successful supplier may enter into subcontract agreements for the provision of services, provided that such agreements are permitted by the bidding documents. The aggregate value of such subcontract agreements may not exceed 50% of the total value of the procurement contract, and at least 20% of the total value of all subcontracted work must be allocated to micro, small, or medium‑sized business entities registered in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Art. 5 of the Law on Public Procurement provides that restrictions may be imposed, on grounds of state security or pursuant to Azerbaijan’s international obligations, on the participation in procurement procedures of certain foreign suppliers or foreign suppliers originating from specific countries, including those with which Azerbaijan has no diplomatic relations.

Azerbaijan is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) nor does it have observer status. In fact, the country is an observer and not a full member of the WTO.

Pursuant to Art. 26 of the Law on Media, where the founder of a media entity, including online platforms, is a natural person, this person must be a citizen of Azerbaijan who is permanently resident within the country. In cases where the founder is a legal entity, at least 75% of its authorised capital must be owned by a citizen or citizens of Azerbaijan permanently residing therein and/or by a legal entity or entities duly registered in the country.

Article 27.2 of the Law on Patents stipulates that foreign legal and natural persons shall file their applications with the authority designated by the relevant executive body exclusively through patent attorneys registered with that authority, unless otherwise provided for in international treaties to which Azerbaijan is a party.

Art. 27.7 of the Law on Patents stipulates that applications for a patent must be prepared in the Azerbaijani language. Other components of the application file may be submitted either in Azerbaijani or in another language. Where any part of the application file is submitted in a language other than Azerbaijani, a translation into Azerbaijani must be provided within two months from the date of filing. All correspondence relating to the application shall be conducted in Azerbaijani.
Section 1.18 of the “Requirements relating to the patent application claims document” stipulates that the claims and abstract of an invention or utility model must be prepared in both Azerbaijani and Russian.

Azerbaijan 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 an observer and not a full member of the WTO.

Art. 33.13 of the Law on Public Procurement provides that, when evaluating bids, the procurement commission must apply a procurement preference of up to 20% in favour of bids offering procurement items of local origin. The application of this preference must be recorded in the final protocol. The preference also applies to goods produced at any stage within the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The implementing instrument is the Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 495 of 30 December 2023, which approves the Rules on the Application of the Procurement Preference and has been in force since 1 January 2024. Under Sections 1.2–1.3, the preference operates as an evaluation adjustment of up to 20% in favour of local goods, works, or services. For goods, Section 2.4 requires local raw materials/materials and local labour to account for more than 50% of the value of the good to qualify as local. For services, Section 3.2 requires the value of local goods used and wages payable to Azerbaijani citizens to exceed 50%.

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