According to the Art. 7 of the Advertisement Law, an advertisement that contains a comparison of the advertised goods (works, services) with the goods (works, services) of other individuals or legal entities, as well as statements, images discrediting their honour, dignity, and business reputation, is prohibited. Advertisements, regardless of the form or used means of distribution (placement), should be reliable and recognisable without special knowledge or the use of special tools directly at the time of its presentation.

Licensing procedures are applied to the importation of certain digital goods to the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, including Kazakhstan. These digital goods include (i) Civil radio-electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices, including those which are built-in or form a part of other goods; (ii) Special hardware meant for secret information acquisition; (iii) Encryption devices.

In accordance with Art. 12.2 of Law No. 94-V, personal data must be stored in a database situated within the territory of Kazakhstan by the owner and/or operator, as well as by third parties. Pursuant to Art. 27-1, the Rules for the Implementation of Measures to Protect Personal Data by the Owner, Operator, and Third Parties were approved. According to Paragraph 8 of these Rules, the collection and processing of personal data with restricted access must be conducted via information facilities located within the Republic of Kazakhstan. The storage and transfer of such data should be carried out using cryptographic protection tools that meet at least the third level of security, as defined by the standard established in Kazakhstan. Personal data of restricted access includes all personal data, except for that which the data subject has made publicly available or that which is publicly accessible by explicit provision of the law. A similar provision was already in effect since 2021 in Rules bearing the same name, repealed in 2023, under its Paragraph 10.

According to Art. 7.6 of the Informatization Law, the central executive body carrying out state regulation in the field of electronic industry is tasked with establishing a unified register of trusted software and electronic products. According to Art. 54.3.1, for the purposes of state security, only approved software may be used for public procurement and for critical information and communication infrastructure, whether state-owned or private, including telecommunication infrastructure. In addition, it is reported that the local content for this software must not be less than 70%.

Art. 21 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Communications stipulates that operators of communication networks of all categories included in the unified telecommunications network of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall be obliged to create at their own expense a system of centralised management of their networks, which must be located on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Kazakhstan has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

According to Art. 7.6 of the Informatization Law, the central executive body carrying out state regulation in the field of electronic industry is tasked with establishing a unified register of trusted software and electronic products. According to Art. 54.3.1, for the purposes of state security, only approved software may be used for public procurement and for critical information and communication infrastructure, whether state-owned or private, including telecommunication infrastructure. To become part of the register, the software applicant must transfer (i) source program codes for accounting and storage; (ii) source program codes (if any) and; (iii) a set of configurations for the licensed software of "e-government" information technology objects, as stated paragraphs 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Order of the Minister of defence and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 53/НК (Rules for the formation and maintenance of a register of trusted products of the electronics and software industry, as well as the criteria for including products of the electronics industry and trusted software in the register of trusted products of the electronics and software industry). In addition, it is reported that the local content for this software must not be less than 70%.

The Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Enterprise Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan provide a framework for the effective protection of trade secrets. According to Art. 126.1 and 1017.1 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a trade secret comprises valuable information, including secrets of production (know-how), production technology, management model, as well as ways and methods of increasing profits. In addition, according to Art. 28 of the Enterprise Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, among other provisions, the protection of trade secrets consists of prohibiting the unlawful receipt, distribution or use of information constituting a trade secret in accordance with this Code and the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This regulatory framework includes remedies and penalties for the disclosure of trade secrets.

It is reported that Kazakhstan has no obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in the country to deliver telecom services to end users, and it is not practised in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

In 2016, the country formally removed a 49% limit on foreign ownership of telecom companies, except for KazakhTeleCom. As of April 2024, the state-owned 71.3% of Kazakhtelecom through Samruk-Kazyna, its sovereign wealth fund.

As of April 2024, the state held a 71.3% stake in the country’s principal telecommunications operator, Kazakhtelecom, through its sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna.

It is reported that Kazakhstan does not mandate accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, functional separation has been an obligation since 2013.

It is reported that the telecommunication companies are required to purchase and install equipment related to the state’s System for Operational Investigative Measures (SORM) and to cover costs related to the database of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) codes and to pay regular fees to the State Radio Frequency Service, which is the IMEI database operator. These obligations may deter new players from entering the market.

Pursuant to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Licensing" and the Law on Permissions and Notifications, the companies providing telecommunications services require an operating license from the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace. It is reported that all telecommunications operators are legally obliged, as part of the licensing requirement, to connect their channels to a public network controlled by KazakhTelecom.