Egypt has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA), which serves as the executive body responsible for overseeing and administering services within the telecommunications sector, operates independently from the government in its decision-making processes.

Egypt has a copyright regime under the law Law No. 82 of 2002. However, the exceptions in the regime do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Art. 171 lists the exceptions, which include making an analysis of the work, or excerpts or quotations therefrom, for the purpose of criticism, discussion or information; the reproduction, if necessary for teaching purposes in educational institutes, of an article, a short work or extracts therefrom; among others.

It is reported that book, music, and entertainment software piracy is prevalent in Egypt, and that a significant proportion of this piracy occurs online.

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

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

According to Art. 56 of Law No. 82 of 2002 on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, the competent authorities may find it necessary "to protect the public" to require the disclosure of trade secrets (named "undisclosed information" in Egyptian Law). However, the law assures such information remains protected from unfair commercial use (Art. 57).

Law No. 180 of 2018 establishes ownership and operational conditions for foreign entities in the media sector. Art. 52 specifies that non-Egyptian shareholders, whether natural or legal persons, are prohibited from owning a majority of shares or being granted management rights in media outlets, including websites acting as electronic backers for media organisations. Art. 1 defines "media" broadly as “any terrestrial or satellite television channel, or wired, wireless, or electronic radio station.”
Art. 54 sets financial requirements for companies operating electronic or digital television stations or channels. The authorised capital must be at least EGP 2.5 million (approx. USD 50,000), with half of this amount deposited in a bank supervised by the Central Bank of Egypt before broadcasting begins. The deposit must remain in the bank for at least one year and be allocated for station operations and employee remuneration.
Additionally, under Art. 59, media providers may operate in Egypt subject to a licence issued by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCoM). Approval requires operation within a designated media area and adherence to content restrictions, including the prohibition of materials involving violence, suicide, self-injury, or nudity.

Law No. 180 of 2018 imposes ownership restrictions on foreigners. According to Art. 36, non-Egyptian shareholders, whether natural or legal persons, are prohibited from holding a share percentage that grants them management rights in newspapers and websites serving as electronic backers for print newspapers.
Art. 35 establishes financial requirements for the establishment of newspapers by private legal entities. For electronic newspapers, a deposit of EGP 100,000 (approx. USD 3,200) is required, with half of this amount to be deposited prior to initiating the establishment procedures. The deposit must remain for one year to cover operational costs and employee rights in case the newspaper ceases publication. In such cases, priority is given to settling employee rights over other obligations.
For newspapers issued by natural persons, the same deposit requirements apply, with the full amount dependent on the publication's frequency. The entire deposit must be made before the newspaper is issued.
Additionally, newspapers must be printed in printing presses within the Arab Republic of Egypt, and a copy of the electronic servers hosting the newspaper's digital version must also be located in Egypt.

The Law No. 10 of 2003 sets restrictions on Telecom Egypt, which is the monopoly operator of the fixed internet services and infrastructure market. Art. 63 stipulates that the shares of Telecom Egypt can be offered for sale at a partial value of the Company capital upon a decree from the Cabinet with the condition that the greater part of the capital remains State-owned.

Law No. 34 of 1976 and its amendments of the years 1996 and 2020 stipulate that legal persons (Natural persons and various forms of Companies) wishing to engage in trade activities in Egypt must be entered into the commercial register (Art. 2). Those to be registered must be of Egyptian nationality and have obtained approval to practice trade from the competent Chamber of Commerce (Art. 3). As an exception to the rule in Article 2, foreigners can be registered in the Commercial Register in a number of cases, among these is when the foreigner is a partner in a company of persons, provided that at least one of the general partners is Egyptian and that the Egyptian partner(s) own 51% of the company's capital and has the right to manage and sign (Art. 4.2).

Law No. 159/198 mandates that a minimum of two members of a company’s board of directors must be nationals. Reports indicate that this requirement extends across various sectors, including computer and related services, telecommunications, and internet services. Art. 181 stipulates that the Government must be represented by at least two members on the administrative boards of companies for which it guarantees a minimum level of profits.

According to Art. 281 of the Executive regulations of the Companies Law, at least one manager of a limited liability company must be a national.

Foreign investment in Egypt is subject to screening based on criteria such as the investor’s nationality and the nature of the company’s activities, as certain sectors and nationalities face restrictions under Egyptian law and must meet specific conditions. Security clearance is required for any foreign individual to work or conduct business, although the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) generally approves incorporations and shareholding changes without prior clearance, except for certain nationalities including China, Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Israel, Iran, Belarus, Bangladesh, Iraq and Palestine which require advance approval. While companies may operate during the often lengthy screening process, rejection obliges them to cease operations and pursue an extended appeals procedure. Businesses have reported hesitancy among Egyptian clients to enter long-term contracts with firms lacking clearance, alongside concerns about arbitrary refusals, lack of transparency and delays in appeals.

Only Egyptian joint-stock companies incorporated in accordance with Egyptian law can apply for and obtain internet service provider (Class A) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) licenses in Egypt. This means that ISPs and VoIP services of foreign providers with no commercial presence in Egypt and minimum Egyptian stocks are not permissible in Egypt.