It is reported that inadequate enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights remains a serious concern in Côte d'Ivoire due to limited resources.

Côte d'Ivoire has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Côte d'Ivoire has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Under Art. 16 of Decree No. 214-105, competent administrative or judicial authorities can access secret codes of encrypted data upon request to the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency of Cote d'Ivoire (ARTCI) or order decryption of data through the help of ARTCI.

Côte d'Ivoire does not have comprehensive trade secret legislation. Yet, there are provisions addressing disclosure, acquisition or use of confidential information in the course of industrial or commercial activities by third parties in Art. 6 of Annex VIII of the Bangui Agreement ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Côte d'Ivoire since 2002.

Côte d'Ivoire encourages infrastructure sharing under Art. 35 of the Ordinance No. 2012-293 and makes it compulsory for SMP operators in the market for co-location (Art. 49). It is reported that passive infrastructure sharing is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors.

The State of Côte d'Ivoire holds 5% in the capital of the leader in mobile telephony in Côte d'Ivoire (ORANGE CI).

Côte d'Ivoire does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, Art. 45 of Ordinance 2012-293, relating to telecommunications and information and communication technologies, lays down the principle of accounting separation of operators and powerful suppliers.

Ordinance No. 2012-293 provides for licenses under which a company is allowed to establish, operate networks or provide telecommunications services. Obtaining an individual license is subject to the following conditions: being a legal entity under Ivorian law, having the technical and financial capacity, having an operating plan for the individual license that complies with the criteria established in the specifications, committing to abide by the applicable law, in particular, this Ordinance and its implementing provisions, as well as the specifications appended to the license for which it applies (Art. 9).

Côte d'Ivoire has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

According to 71 of Ordinance No. 2012-293, the Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications/TIC de Côte d'Ivoire, the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

Under Art. 26 of Law No. 2013-450, the controller of a processing operation may only be authorised to transfer personal data to a third country if that country ensures a higher or equivalent level of protection of the privacy, freedoms and fundamental rights of individuals with regard to the processing of which such data are or may be subject. In addition, before any actual transfer of personal data to this third country, the controller must first obtain authorisation from the Protection Authority. The transfer of personal data to third countries is subject to regular monitoring by the Protection Authority with regard to their purpose.

Côte d'Ivoire has not joined any agreement with binding commitments on data flows.

Law No. 2013-450 provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Côte d'Ivoire, addressing matters such as prior authorisation for processing sensitive data, defining consent as a central principle, necessitating data protection officer appointments, and providing restrictions on data transfers.

Côte d'Ivoire is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).