Argentina has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the "Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones" (ENACOM), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

According to Art. 37 of the Patent Law, patent protection can only be obtained by filing separate national patent applications, but it may be endangered if the application for obtaining the same patent in another country was filed more than one year before the Argentinian filing date and/or it has already been published (Art. 13). In those cases, since Argentina adopts absolute novelty, the novelty requirement will not be fulfilled, and a patent will be denied.

It is reported that stakeholders emphasise substantial delays in the processing of patent applications, averaging seven to eight years. It is further reported that the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) operates with a limited number of patent examiners, with resource constraints posing significant challenges to recruitment and retention.

Argentina signed the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in December 1970 but has not ratified it.

Argentina has a copyright regime under Law 11.723. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, thus limiting third parties' lawful use of copyrighted works. Arts. 10, 27, 28, 36 list the exceptions, which include the use and transmission of news of general interest (the original version must be published if the source is mentioned); the publication of parliamentary speeches, provided it is not done for profit; the performance of literary or artistic works in public events organised by educational institutions, provided that the performance is not broadcast and is free of charge.

It is reported that the enforcement of intellectual property rights in Argentina is challenging, with stakeholders indicating widespread unfair competition stemming from the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods and services. Moreover, Argentina is reportedly experiencing elevated levels of online piracy, accompanied by inadequate enforcement mechanisms. Stakeholders indicate significant incidences of piracy facilitated through illicit streaming devices (ISDs) and unauthorised internet protocol television (IPTV) applications. In addition, concerns persist regarding the continued use of unlicensed software within governmental institutions in Argentina.

Argentina has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

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

In Argentina, trade secrets are protected by the provisions of Art. 156 of the Criminal Code, Law 24,766 and Emergency Decree 274/2019, establishing a comprehensive protection regime for trade secrets.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing to deliver telecom services to end users. The sharing of passive infrastructure is regulated by different rules, among which the Passive Infrastructure Sharing Regulation, approved as an Annex to Resolution No. 105/2020 of the former Secretariat of Public Innovation, stands out. Moreover, passive infrastructure sharing is practised in the mobile and fixed sectors.

Law 27.328 establishes that at least 33% of the goods and services used in public-private partnership contracts must be provided by local companies.

Arts. 2-3 of Law No. 25.750 stipulate that foreign equity ownership in Internet service providers may not exceed 30%. This limit may be exceeded in the event of a reciprocity agreement. In addition, Art. 13 of Law No. 27.078 provides that ENACOM (Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones, National Communications Entity) must approve any proposed changes to shareholdings or partnership interests in companies in this sector if such changes would affect the control of the company.

Argentina gives preference to MSMEs in public procurement procedures through the Compremipyme Programme. Under Art. 39 of Law No. 25.300, establishing the Programme, the jurisdictions and entities of the national public sector should apply a 5% preference right to tenders from MSMEs supplying goods or services produced in the country for purposes of comparing them with the best tender and awarding the goods or services contract to such enterprises. The Programme also stipulates a minimum preference rate of 10% in tenders or bids for the procurement of goods and services in which only MSMEs are competing. Furthermore, Art. 40 authorises the Executive to consider partial bids in order to facilitate and increase the participation of MSMEs in tenders and bids for the procurement of goods and services in quantities in line with their scale of production.

Art. 7 of Act No. 26.092 stipulates that 98% of the shareholding in the Argentine Company of Satellite Solutions (ARSAT) shall be allocated to the Ministry of Federal Planning, Public Investment and Services, while the remaining 2% shall correspond to the Ministry of Economy and Production. Pursuant to Art. 7 of the Annex, Class A shares shall be held by the national government, and these shares may not be transferred except with the authorisation of a statute enacted by Congress, as they embody the State’s controlling interest. Consequently, 51% of the shares are designated as Class A and are State-owned, whereas the remainder could, in principle, be admitted to public trading. Reports indicate that ARSAT intends to undertake a public offering of shares to divest 49% of the company’s equity to the private sector; however, as of 2025, this has not yet materialised.