Copyright is not adequately enforced online in Tajikistan. Reports highlight the absence of effective and transparent procedures to ensure legitimate government use of software. Furthermore, Tajikistan has allocated limited resources to enforcing intellectual property rights (IPR) laws, resulting in the continued circulation of pirated media. It is also reported that over 90% of software and other media products sold in the country are unlicensed copies.

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

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

Tajikistan is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 but is not a signatory of its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

It is reported that corruption in public procurement is prevalent, with tax inspections being the most common form of routine corruption encountered by foreign investors.

Tajikistan is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). However, it has had observer status since 2014.

There are no restrictions on foreign ownership in sectors relevant to digital trade. According to Art. 4 of the Investment Law of Tajikistan, foreigners are permitted to establish wholly foreign-owned enterprises. However, Art. 5.1 of Investment Act No. 1299 allows for restrictions on investment in certain sectors based on national interest, though no official documentation specifies which sectors are subject to these restrictions.

It is reported that Tajikistan's State Committee on Investment and State Property Management reviews incoming foreign investments, including investments in its five Free Economic Zones, which involve government interests. In addition, the government pays particular interest to investments that require financial support or state guarantees.
Investors must submit their proposals to the relevant government agencies to solicit their opinions or objections. This process is reported to be lengthy and cumbersome. In most cases, the review includes the financial history of the company, the person representing the company and the identification of the source of funding to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. Moreover, it is reported that the inspector may reject proposals, and applicants may appeal the government's decision.

According to Art. 11 of the Invention Law, natural persons permanently residing outside the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan or foreign legal entities or their representatives may perform activities related to obtaining a protective document and maintaining its validity only through patent representatives registered with the Patent Office.

It is reported that, in general, obtaining a patent for an invention could take up to two years. This is despite the website of the National Center for Patents and Information (NCPI) states that, if no conflicts are found, the patent should be registered within 30 days from the time the application is received. 

Tajikistan is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). However, the country does not consider itself bound by Art. 59 related to disputes. It should be noted that this treaty was signed in 1970, at a time when Tajikistan was part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, in 1994, when Tajikistan became independent, it issued the declaration of continued application, and the date of entry into force was given as the date of independence, which was December 1991.

According to Art. 7 of Law No. 167-VІ SAM on Monetary Regulation and Foreign Exchange Control (which repealed Law No. 57 of 2005 on Monetary Regulation in July 2018), the use of a local bank is mandatory for settlements in foreign currency between residents of the KR and non-residents. Exceptions are settlements made from a foreign bank account of a non-resident, carried out on account of the performance of obligations of a resident (e.g. when a foreign parent company pays its local branch in the KR) and settlements with non-residents made from the resident's account in a foreign bank. Also, settlements between residents of the KR (including local branches of foreign non-financial legal entities considered residents) must be made in local currency.

According to Art. 136 of Law No. 115-VI ЗРК of the Republic of Kazakhstan, imports placed under the customs procedure for domestic consumption with a total customs value not exceeding the threshold of EUR 200 (approx. 219 USD) are exempt from import duties and taxes.

According to Art. 56 of the Law on Informatization requires that internet resources with ".kz" and ".қaz" domains must be hosted on hardware and software complexes located in Kazakhstan. In other words, an internet resource (website, web application, web service) using a ".kz" or ".қaz" domain must be hosted on a server in a data centre located in Kazakhstan. The server must also be connected to a Kazakh internet provider and use a (dedicated or shared) Kazakhstan IP address. It is reported that the owners of Internet resources were originally required to start using Kazakhstan's data centres by November 2020; however, since the related transition required additional costs and time, the deadline for meeting this requirement was extended to February 2021.