It is reported that, in practice, the DRC requires foreign investors to hire local agents and participate in a joint venture with the government or local partners.

The DRC lacks a dedicated organization for screening inbound foreign investment. Instead, this responsibility falls upon the Presidency and various ministries, functioning in a de facto capacity.

According to Art. 18 of Law No. 82-001 on Industrial Property, non-Congolese patent applicants domiciled abroad are obliged to indicate an address for service with a Congolese agent and to work through them.

The DRC is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The DRC has a copyright regime under the Ordinance-Law No. 86-033 on the Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 24-32 list the exceptions, which include reproducing quotations or excerpts of protected works for cultural, scientific, teaching, critical or polemic purposes, provided that the source, title and name of the author are mentioned; the reproduction of photographs in anthologies intended for teaching use and in scientific works shall be authorised; among others.

Although the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has established a legal framework for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), reports suggest that enforcement has been sporadic and inconsistent, leaving IPR effectively unprotected. The challenges in enforcing IPR regulations are attributed to limited institutional capacity and a widespread lack of awareness among both consumers and businesses, resulting in generally weak implementation.

The DRC has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

The DRC has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Self-certification is allowed for foreign businesses. According to Chapter IX of the Telecommunications Law, Art. 61, any terminal, equipment or system likely to be connected to a public telecommunications network, or which uses the public telecommunications network, or which uses the public radio-electric domain, must have the corresponding homologation certificate. It is reported that the following products require INDOTEL’s approval: Tablets; Personal trackers; Wireless microphones; 3G/4G mobile phones; RFID equipment; Radio alarms; Laptops.

According to Art. 29 of Law No. 183-02, foreign exchange brokerage may only be carried out by authorised financial brokerage entities and by Exchange Agents. Art. 30 states that to be an Exchange Agent, it is necessary to be constituted as a joint stock company organised in accordance with the laws of the Dominican Republic, with the objects clause and the exclusive habitual activity of carrying out exchange intermediation in free market conditions in the national territory, as well as abroad under the modality of remittance company.

According to Decree No. 402-05 approving the Regulations for the Express Dispatch of Shipments, the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 200, following the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Law No. 358-05 provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions.

Dominican Republic has signed and ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Dominican Republic has adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Dominican Republic has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.