It is reported that Belize does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there is an obligation of accounting separation. In addition, according to Art. 30 of the Telecommunications Act, the Public Utilities Commission of Belize may prescribe reasonable accounting procedures in accordance with international accounting and costing standards to determine the cost of operations, which shall be followed and implemented by all public telecommunication service providers.

According to Art. 16 of the Telecommunications Act, the Public Utilities Commission of Belize (PUC) may consider any element of national interest, policy or security in granting a license. In addition, under Art. 18, the PUC, in granting the license, shall require the licensee, at the request of the Government, to cooperate with the Minister in matters of national security. In addition, according to Art. 19, the PUC may suspend, modify, revoke or refuse to renew a license for reasons of national security or public interest.

Belize has only partially attached the WTO Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

Belize lacks a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them in the Freedom of Information Act, 1994 (Art. 29) and the Public Sector Data Sharing Act, 2021 (Art.11).

According to Art. 4 of the Infrastructure Sharing Regulations, all licensees shall (i) have a right and, when requested, an obligation to negotiate the sharing of infrastructure and facilities with each other for the purpose of providing public telecommunications services, or for any other purpose deemed to be in the public interest by the Commission; (ii) negotiate in good faith with each other on matters concerning the sharing of infrastructure and facilities; (iii) neither withdraw from nor impair arrangements for the sharing of infrastructure and facilities once already granted, unless authorized to do so by the Commission. Furthermore, pursuant to Art. 7 of the Regulations, a licensee shall provide infrastructure and facilities sharing under the same terms and conditions as that offered to any other licensee to which it provides infrastructure and facilities sharing

Belize has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Belize has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Belize is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Belize has a clear regime under the Copyright Act 2000 of copyright exceptions that follows fair dealing model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Arts. 55-85 list the exceptions, which include the use for purposes of research and private study (Art 56); criticism, review, and reporting (Art 57); educational purposes (Arts. 60-65); copying by librarians or archivists (Arts. 66 to 70); public administration (Arts.71-72); literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works (Sections 76-80); among others.

According to Art. 61 of the Patents Act, every applicant for a patent whose ordinary residence or principal place of business is outside Belize shall be represented by an attorney-at-law (as an agent) who is resident in Belize and practicing in Belize in accordance with the relevant law.

It is reported that Belize present some challenges in participating and competing in public procurement and in dispute settlement processes, in particular relating to State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Moreover, the reports point out a lack of transparency, land insecurity, bureaucracy, delays, and corruption in the tender process. In addition, throughout much of 2022, key transparency and oversight bodies, including the Integrity Commission, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Auditor General’s Office, and the Labor Commissioner’s position remained vacant. In practice, it is reported these offices are understaffed and under-resourced to effectively undertake their respective mandates.

Belize is not a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).

Belize is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).

According to Art. 21 of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act 2011, a limited tender procedure may be established due to national security, or for reasons of national emergency. According to Art. 2 of the Act, a limited tender procedure means a procurement in which the Government does not call for any tender or in which the Government individually invites suppliers to submit a bid for a contract.