Database

Browse Database

BENIN

N/A

Pillar Online sales and transactions  |  Sub-pillar Adoption of United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures
Lack of adoption of UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures
Benin 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

BENIN

Since April 2018, last amended in December 2020

Pillar Domestic data policies  |  Sub-pillar Requirement to perform a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) or have a data protection officer (DPO)
Law No. 2017-20 of 20 April 2018 on the Digital Code in the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2017-20 du 20 avril 2018 portant code du numérique en République du Bénin)
Pursuant to Art. 428 of Law No. 2017-20, where a type of processing, in particular through the use of new technologies and taking into account the nature, scope, context and purposes of the processing, is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the controller shall carry out, prior to the processing, an analysis of the impact of the envisaged processing operations on the protection of personal data, that is a data protection impact assessment (DPIA).
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since April 2018, last amended in December 2020

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar Safe harbour for intermediaries for copyright infringement
Law No. 2017-20 of 20 April 2018 on the Digital Code in the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2017-20 du 20 avril 2018 portant code du numérique en République du Bénin)
Law No. 2017-20 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Chapter II of Title I of Book Six of the Law is concerned with the responsibility of internet operators and establishes the general liability regime and the special liability regimes.
Coverage Internet intermediaries

BENIN

Since April 2018, last amended in December 2020

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar Safe harbour for intermediaries for any activity other than copyright infringement
Law No. 2017-20 of 20 April 2018 on the Digital Code in the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2017-20 du 20 avril 2018 portant code du numérique en République du Bénin)
Law No. 2017-20 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringement. Chapter II of Title I of Book Six of the Law is concerned with the responsibility of internet operators and establishes the general liability regime and the special liability regimes.
Coverage Internet intermediaries

BENIN

Since April 2020

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar User identity requirement
Decree No. 2020-249 of 22 April 2020 on the Conditions for Identifying Users of Electronic Communications Services (Décret No. 2020-249 du 22 avril 2020 portant conditions d'identification des utilisateurs de services de communications électroniques)
Art. 4 of Decree No. 2020-249 stipulates that no individual may benefit from an electronic communications service unless they have first been identified by the operator in question in accordance with the conditions set forth in this decree. The term "electronic communications services" is defined as encompassing all services that involve the emission, transmission, or reception of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, or information of any nature or a combination of these functions. The 2020 decree repealed Decree No. 2016-465, which contained a similar requirement in Chapter II.
Coverage Electronic communications services

BENIN

Since April 2020

Pillar Intermediary liability  |  Sub-pillar User identity requirement
Decree No. 2020-249 of 22 April 2020 on the Conditions for Identifying Users of Electronic Communications Services (Décret No. 2020-249 du 22 avril 2020 portant conditions d'identification des utilisateurs de services de communications électroniques)
Arts. 19 and 20 of Decree No. 2020-249 stipulate that internet café operators must identify their users and collect the necessary information prior to providing their services. In addition to this information, cybercafé operators must record the identifier of the terminal used for connection and the date and time of the start and end of the connection. The 2020 decree repealed Decree No. 2016-465, which had already required in Art. 20 that operators of cybercafés identify their customers in advance.
Coverage Internet café operators

BENIN

N/A

Pillar Technical standards applied to ICT goods and online services  |  Sub-pillar Self-certification for product safety
Lack of self-declaration of conformity (SDoC)
It is reported that type approval procedures in Benin are regulated by the Autorité Régulation des Communications Electroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP). The homologation process in Benin does not require local laboratory testing or contact with local representatives. However, a product sample can be requested from the authority for viewing.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since April 2018, last amended in December 2020

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Sub-pillar Conditional flow regime
Law No. 2017-20 of 20 April 2018 on the Digital Code in the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2017-20 du 20 avril 2018 portant code du numérique en République du Bénin)
Art. 391 of Law No. 2017-20 requires that the transfer of personal data to a third State or international organisation may only take place when the Authority finds that the State or international organisation in question ensures a level of protection equivalent to that provided for in the law. Art. 392 provides some exceptions, including the express consent of the data subject and the necessity of the transfer for the execution of the contract.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

N/A

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Sub-pillar Participation in trade agreements committing to open cross-border data flows
Lack of participation in agreements with binding commitments on data flows
Benin has not joined any free trade agreement committing to open transfers of cross-border data flows.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since May 2009
Since April 2018, last amended in December 2020

Pillar Domestic data policies  |  Sub-pillar Framework for data protection
Law No. 2009-09 of 22 May 2009 Dealing with the Protection of Personally Identifiable Information (Loi No. 2009-09 du 22 mai 2009 portant protection des données à caractère personnel en République du Bénin)

Law No. 2017-20 of 20 April 2018 on the Digital Code in the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2017-20 du 20 avril 2018 portant code du numérique en République du Bénin)
Law No. 2009-09 provides a general framework for personal data protection and establishes, among other things, individuals' rights, consent requirements, restrictions on data processing, as well as establishing the Beninese data protection authority as the supervisory authority. The law is supplemented by the more detailed Digital Code in 2018. The Fifth Book of the Digital Code is directly influenced by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR). It regulates and clarifies several matters, such as joint controllership of data, conditions for consent, data breach notifications, processing for research and other purposes, and impact assessments.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since July 2019

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Sub-pillar Screening of investment and acquisitions
Decree No. 2019-216 of 31 July 2019 setting the Terms and Conditions for the Granting of Licenses, Authorisations, and the Conditions for Making the Declaration relating to the Exercise of Electronic Communications Activities in the Republic of Benin (Décret No. 2019-216 du 31 Juillet 2019 fixant les Modalités d'Octroi des Licences, des Autorisations et des Conditions de Réalisation de la Déclaration relatives à l'Exercice des Activités de Communications Électroniques en République du Bénin).
Art. 13 of Decree No. 2019-216 states that any change of control, direct or indirect, of a licensed telecom operator and any acquisition of interest by an operator, directly or indirectly, in the capital of a licensed operator, is subject to authorisation by the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers may oppose the modification of the license, the transfer of the license, or the change of control of a licensed operator to safeguard public order or security or for the demonstrated inadequacy of the technical or financial capacity of the proposed new reference shareholder to meet the obligations resulting from the license, among others.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

BENIN

Since February 1999, entry into force in February 2002, last amended in December 2015
Since December 2019, entry into force in March 2020

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Practical or legal restrictions related to the application process for patents
Bangui Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African Intellectual Property Organization, Constituting a Revision of the Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Bangui (Central African Republic), 2 March 1977) (Accord de Bangui relatif à la création d'une organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, constituant révision de l'Accord relatif à la création d'un Office Africain et Malgache de la Propriété Industrielle (Bangui (République centrafricaine), le 2 mars 1977)

Regulations on the profession of Authorised Agent before the African Intellectual Property Organization (Règlement sur la profession de Mandataire agréé auprès de l'organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle)
According to the Bangui Agreement, ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Benin, applicants resident outside the territory of the Member States must file through an agent selected in one of those Member States (Section III, Art. 8). The professional status of agent accredited to the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) is governed by the Regulations on the profession of Authorised Agent before the OAPI.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since February 1987

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

BENIN

Since March 1977, as amended in December 2015, entry into force in November 2020
Since April 2006

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Copyright law with clear exceptions
Bangui Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African Intellectual Property organisation, Constituting a Revision of the Agreement Relating to the Creation of an African and Malagasy Office of Industrial Property (Bangui (Central African Republic), 2 March 1977) (Accord de Bangui relatif à la création d'une organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, constituant révision de l'Accord relatif à la création d'un Office Africain et Malgache de la Propriété Industrielle (Bangui (République centrafricaine), le 2 mars 1977)

Law No. 2005-30 of 5 April 2006, on Copyright and Related Rights of the Republic of Benin (Loi No. 2005-30 du 5 avril 2006 relative à la protection du droit d'auteur et des droits voisins en République du Bénin)
The Revised Bangui Agreement is a regional intellectual property law that is not only a regional convention applicable in all member states but also serves as a national intellectual property law in Benin and each of the other member states. The Revised Bangui Agreement contains provisions on copyright in Annex VII: Chapter IV (Limitations to Economic Rights) and establishes a regime of copyright exceptions. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. In addition, Title IV of Law No. 2005-30 also provides a list of exceptions.
Coverage Horizontal

BENIN

Since April 2006

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Sub-pillar Adoption of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty
WIPO Copyright Treaty
Benin has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.
Coverage Horizontal

Report issue     Report new measure