Art. 65.3 of the Law on Industrial Property Rights allows the disclosure of data in industrial and commercial activities if necessary to protect the public interest. However, there is no further clarification on what constitutes public interest, leaving this provision ambiguous.

Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulatory Act, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority issued Decision No. 37/2008. In accordance with Arts. 4 and 5, dealing in encryption systems or equipment should only be permitted after obtaining the Authority’s approval. The following are required to obtain the Authority’s approval to deal with encryption systems or equipment:
- Registration with the Authority to deal in encryption systems or equipment;
- Submission of a statement showing the type and specifications of all encryption systems or equipment intended to deal in;
- A sample of the encryption system or equipment intended to be dealt with whenever requested by the Authority. Where samples are submitted, the Authority may retain them in whole or in part if the work interest so requires;
- Information as requested by the Authority regarding the dealing user;
In addition, the Authority may scrutinise and inspect the encryption systems or equipment before licensing their usage, and it may, whenever necessary, retain a sample and obtain the key (Art. 9).

Trade secrets and other undisclosed information are protected under the Law on Industrial Property Rights (Arts. 60.1(b), 65.1 and 65.2) and its Implementing Regulation (Regulation No. 105/2008), which prohibit the unfair commercial use and disclosure of undisclosed information, including regulatory test data, as acts of unfair competition. In addition, Part IV of the Law on Industrial Property Rights sets out the infringement proceedings and remedies applicable to acts of unfair competition, including those involving the misuse or disclosure of trade secrets and other forms of undisclosed information.

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

It is reported that Omantel, the leading telecommunications company in the country, remains under majority government ownership, with the government holding a controlling stake of 51%.

Under TRA Decision No. 26/2016 issuing the Regulations on Accounting Separation, Oman requires accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecommunications market. In addition, it has been reported that functional separation is also mandated in the country; however, no explicit legal provision establishing such an obligation could be identified in publicly available sources online.

Under Arts. 20–22 of the Telecommunications Regulatory Act (Royal Decree No. 30/2002), any person wishing to establish or operate a telecommunications system or provide telecommunications services must obtain a licence from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Basic public telecommunications services require a Class I licence granted by Royal Decree, additional public telecommunications services require a Class II licence, and private telecommunications services require a Class III licence.
Pursuant to Art. 21 of the Act, the Authority may limit the number of telecommunications or radio licences issued for a specific class of telecommunications systems or services in order to: (i) ensure the efficient management and use of the frequency spectrum; (ii) specify a particular period to ensure that a sufficient stock of telecommunications numbers is available for use under the Numbering Plan; and (iii) meet public interest requirements.

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

It is reported that the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), 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. 12 of the "Regulation Organising Cloud Computing Services and Data Centres", cloud service providers are prohibited from transferring sensitive data (Levels 3 and 4) outside Oman without prior approval from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. This classification system recognises varying levels of sensitivity: Level 3 includes regulated private sector data (such as energy, utilities, and insurance), while Level 4 covers highly sensitive data from state entities, financial institutions, and health sectors.

Art. 23 of the Personal Data Protection Law provides that a controller may transfer personal data and permit its transfer beyond the borders of Oman in accordance with the controls and procedures set out in the regulations. Chapter 8 of the Executive Regulation clarifies that the explicit consent of the personal data holder is required prior to the transfer of personal data outside Oman, unless the transfer is made pursuant to an international obligation under an agreement to which Oman is a party, or the data is transferred in a manner that does not disclose the identity of the data holder. The chapter further requires the data controller to ensure that the foreign recipient of the data offers a level of protection that is not less than that prescribed by the Personal Data Protection Law and the Executive Regulation.

Oman is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). However, the country does not consider itself bound by Art. 59 related to disputes.

Oman has a copyright regime under the Royal Decree No. 65/2008 on Law on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Art. 20 lists the exceptions, which include quoting paragraphs from a protected work lawfully made available to the public in another work for clarification, explanation, or criticism purposes, to the extent of the desired purpose and as much as justified by such goal; the use of the work in meetings within the family or through an educational institution for clarification during face-to-face educational or teaching purposes, within limits justified by such goal, provided that this would be done with no direct or indirect compensation; among others.

Although Oman’s intellectual property legislation is generally robust, it is reported that limited enforcement capacity places a significant burden on rights holders, who must themselves undertake monitoring and pursue enforcement primarily through court proceedings.

Art. 6 of the Foreign Capital Investment Law stipulates that all permits required for foreign investments in Oman should be approved through the Investments Services Centre of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.