Database

Browse Database

BELIZE

Since June 2000

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Participation in the Patent Cooperation Treaty
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Belize is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Coverage Horizontal

BELIZE

Since June 2000

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Copyright law with clear exceptions
Copyright Act, 2000
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.
Coverage Horizontal

BELIZE

Since June 2000, last amended in November 2022

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Practical or legal restrictions related to the application process for patents
Patents Act, 2000
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.
Coverage Horizontal

BELIZE

Reported in 2022

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Sub-pillar Other limitations on foreign participation in public procurement
Lack of transparency in public tenders
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.
Coverage Horizontal

BELIZE

N/A

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Sub-pillar Signatory of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA)
Lack of participation in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA)
Belize is not a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
Coverage Horizontal

BELIZE

N/A

Pillar Tariffs and trade defence measures applied on ICT goods  |  Sub-pillar Participation in the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and 2015 expansion (ITA II)
Lack of participation in the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and in ITA Expansion Agreement (ITA II)
Belize is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).
Coverage ICT goods

BELIZE

Since April 2011

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Sub-pillar Exclusion from public procurement
Financial and Audit (Reform) Act, 2005
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.
Coverage Horizontal
"SELECT DISTINCT(post_id) FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'score' AND\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'country' AND meta_value = 'BZ')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAND (\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.1') OR\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.2') OR\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.3')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t)"
[{"post_id":"42590"},{"post_id":"42591"},{"post_id":"42592"}]
"SELECT meta_value FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'impact' AND\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'country' AND meta_value = 'BZ')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAND (\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.1') OR\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.2')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t)"
"SELECT meta_value FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'score' AND\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'country' AND meta_value = 'BZ')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAND (\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id IN (SELECT post_id FROM prj_12_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'subchapter' AND meta_value = '1.3')\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t)"
ITA: [{"meta_value":"1.00"}]

BELIZE

ITA signatory? I II

Pillar Tariffs and trade defence measures applied on ICT goods  |  Sub-pillar Effective tariff rate to ICT goods (applied weighted average)
Effective tariff rate to ICT goods (applied weighted average)
8.71%
Coverage rate of zero-tariffs on ICT goods (%)
22.4%
Coverage: Digital goods

BAHRAIN

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signature
Lack of adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures
Bahrain has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Since June 2020, in force since January 2021

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Ratification of the UN Convention of Electronic Communications
UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts
Bahrain has signed and ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Since November 2018

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce
Bahrain has adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Reported in 2021

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Threshold for ‘De Minimis’ rule
De minimis threshold
It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 790.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Since July 2012
Since November 2018

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Framework for consumer protection applicable to online commerce
Law No. 35 of 2012 with respect to Consumer Protection

Decree No. 54 of 2018 issuing the Law on Electronic Communications and Transactions
Bahrain has a legal framework that applies consumer protection to online transactions. Law No. 35 of 2012 with respect to Consumer Protection governs consumer protection matters in general. In addition, Decree No. 54 of 2018 issuing the Law on Electronic Communications and Transactions updates a repealed law and expands the range of transactions that may be carried out electronically. Under the law, electronic signatures are generally considered valid and binding, but Bahraini authorities have yet to register any accredited certification service providers.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Since October 2015

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Licensing scheme for e-commerce providers
Legislative Decree No. 27 of 2015
Concerning the Commercial Register
The Legislative Decree No. 27 generally applies to all businesses carrying out commercial activities in Bahrain, including branches of foreign companies. According to Arts. 8-9 of the Decree, all businesses are required to be registered with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) and appropriately licensed by the relevant regulated body in relation to carrying out particular activities, such as operations of e Marketplaces / websites / web portals (activity 6312), and retail sale via internet (activity 4791) in addition to other commercial activity if required.
Coverage Horizontal

BAHRAIN

Since November 2007

Pillar Technical standards applied to ICT goods, products and online services  |  Sub-pillar Self-certification for product safety
Gulf Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances – BD-142004-01
According to the GSO Technical Regulation for Low Voltage Electrical Equipment and Appliances – BD-142004-01, which includes an amendment and an update of the first edition, number (BD07070503) was implemented in 2007. Electrical appliances designed to be used in certain rated voltage range must be sold bearing G mark after being certified by the GCC Notified Body.
Products that fall under List 1 under the Regulation are low-risk; thus a self declaration form prepared by the manufacturer can be made affixing the “G” before placing the product on the market. Products that fall under List 2 are higher risk electrical products which will undergo mandatory Type testing and review of the product's Technical File to verify conformity before authorization is granted to affix the “G” mark before placing the product onto the market.
However, for List 2 products, manufacturers must choose a single Notified Body (NB) entity, to examine the technical design of a product and verify that the technical design of the product meets the requirements of the applicable Gulf Technical Regulations and for the issuance of an evaluation report with a Gulf Type Examination certificate and shall be issued certificate from the NB.
Coverage Electrical goods