Trinidad and Tobago is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Trinidad and Tobago has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair dealing model, enabling lawful use of copyrighted works by others without permission. According to Arts. 10 and 11 of the Copyright Act, protection is granted to works by virtue of their creation, regardless of their mode or form of expression, as well as their content, quality, or purpose. The law sets out several exceptions under which copyrighted works may be used without the author’s consent or the payment of compensation, including:
(i) private reproduction for personal purposes (Art. 9);
(ii) reproduction for teaching (Art. 11);
(iii) reproduction by libraries and archives (Art. 12);
(iv) reproduction, broadcasting, and other communication to the public for informational purposes (Art. 13); and
(v) reproduction and adaptation of computer programs (Art. 14).

Copyright is not adequately enforced online in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite a robust intellectual property rights (IPR) legal framework, enforcement is generally weak.

Trinidad and Tobago has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

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

Art. 28 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act provides that a procuring entity may restrict participation in procurement proceedings to promote local industry development and enhance local content. When a procuring entity decides to limit participation to certain suppliers or contractors, such restrictions must be clearly stated and justified within the procurement documentation. However, the Act does not specify the criteria or conditions under which foreign companies may be excluded for the purpose of supporting local industry. This is confirmed in Art. 4.3 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Participation in Procurement) Regulations, 2021.
Moreover, Art. 7.3 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Procurement Methods and Procedures) Regulation 2021 specifies that an invitation may normally be advertised regionally or internationally only when (i) the required goods, works, or services are not available from qualified, competent and experienced providers in Trinidad and Tobago at competitive prices; or (ii) it may be necessary to fulfil the terms and conditions of a regional or international treaty or agreement. Further information about the criteria for advertising can be found in the General Guidelines on Procurement Methods and Procedures.

According to Art. 3 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Participation in Procurement) Regulations, 2021, a supplier or contractor participating in an international competitive bid may benefit from domestic preference mechanisms specified in the bidding documents where the procurement involves:
(a) the supply of goods manufactured exclusively in Trinidad and Tobago; or
(b) the supply of goods partially manufactured or assembled in Trinidad and Tobago, provided that the supplier or contractor demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the procuring entity, that the proportion of domestic value added represents at least 35% of the ex-works price of the goods offered.
As stipulated in Art. 4.2 of the same Regulations, the percentage of domestic price preference permitted in a bidding document is set at 10%, subject to quarterly review by the procuring entity.
Furthermore, when determining the domestic value added, the procuring entity shall take into account the value of domestic labour, raw materials, locally produced components, and any manufacturing or assembly conducted within the country. The nationality of a supplier or contractor shall not be used as a condition for eligibility.

Trinidad and Tobago is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.

The Foreign Investment Act of 1990 requires potential investors to provide certain information to the Minister of Finance and the Secretary of the Company, including name, address, identity of other countries where they have investments, purpose, and residence status. Nonetheless, there is no restriction on foreign ownership in place. The Act repealed the Aliens (Landholding) Act, Chap. 58:02, No. 36 of 1921.

Under Arts. 4 and 5 of the Foreign Investment Act, 1990 of Trinidad and Tobago, any foreign investor intending to acquire shares in a local public company must, prior to doing so, submit detailed information to both the Minister of Finance and the Secretary of the company, as specified in the First Schedule. This information includes personal or corporate identification details, the purpose of the investment, disclosure of other jurisdictions where the investor holds investments, residency status under the Exchange Control Act, and comprehensive information regarding the consideration and financial transactions related to the investment.
Furthermore, pursuant to Art. 5 of the Act, a foreign investor must obtain a licence before acquiring shares in a local public company if such acquisition—whether direct or indirect—would result in foreign investors collectively holding 30% or more of the company’s total shareholding. In addition, under the Second Schedule, every local public company is required to record in its Share Register whether each shareholder qualifies as a foreign investor.

The Electronic Legal Transactions Act 2017 provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions.

Suriname has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Suriname enacted the Electronic Transactions Act, drawing upon the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

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