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

Costa Rica has enacted national legislation based on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures, namely Law No. 8454 on Certificates, Digital Signatures and Electronic Documents.

Under Art. 15 of Law No. 7.789, foreign participation in public or private telecommunications companies entering into joint ventures with the state-owned Heredia Public Services Company (ESPH) is limited to 49% of the capital stock. In addition, Art. 5 of Law No. 8.660 on the Strengthening and Modernization of Public Entities in the Telecommunications Sector requires the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), which operates in the telecommunications sector, to retain at least 51% of the share capital of any company it constitutes or acquires. The same provision further establishes that the sale of shares in any ICE company must be authorised by a special law.

Costa Rica has joined trade agreements covering cooperation commitments on open transfers of cross-border data flows. However, none of these commitments includes binding rules on cross-border data transfers. These include:
- Art. 15.5.d of the Tratado de Libre Comercio entre los Estados Unidos Mexicanos y las Repúblicas de Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua;
- Art. 16.7.c of the Tratado de Libre Comercio entre la República de Colombia y la República de Costa Rica.

In general, there are no restrictions based on nationality for directors and managers of telecommunications companies. However, in the case of the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity (ICE), a major public company providing electricity and telecommunications services, all directors must be Costa Rican nationals. This requirement is in Art. 10 of the Law of Creation of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, which states that the superior administration of the ICE shall correspond to a Board of Directors and that all of them must be Costa Ricans characterised by their honorability.

Law No. 8968 and Executive Decree No. 37554-JP establish a comprehensive framework for data protection in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican Data Protection Authority (PRODHAB) is the body charged with overseeing and enforcing compliance with the Law.

According to Art. 34 of Law No. 6.867 on Patents, Industrial Designs and Utility Models, it is mandatory to appoint a local representative to file a patent application if the applicant has a domicile or headquarters outside of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has a safe harbour regime in place for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Executive Decree No. 36.880 implements Art. 15.11.27 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), establishing limitations on liability for service providers for copyright only. Pursuant to the Decree, users who believe their rights have been violated should communicate with the service provider, who has 15 days to take down the content. Takedowns can also occur through a judicial order. The system has been criticised for ambiguity, as the limited intermediary liability applies to service providers who voluntarily abide by the rule.

Costa Rica is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Costa Rica has a copyright regime under Law No. 6.683. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 67-76 list the exceptions, which include the reproduction of news that have the character of mere press information, speeches made in deliberative assemblies or public meetings, and works for educational or scientific purposes, among others.

It is reported that there are delays and a significant lack of progress in implementing the online copyright regime, and that uncertainty remains regarding the extent to which the Costa Rican government monitors and ensures that individual ministries and agencies maintain and use only duly licensed software. It is further reported that almost 60% of all software in Costa Rica is unlicensed.

Costa Rica has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Costa Rica has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Law No. 7.975 and its Regulations (Executive Decree No. 34927-J-COMEX-S-MAG) provide a framework for effective protection of trade secrets.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in the country to deliver telecom services to end users. Moreover, passive infrastructure sharing is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements. The "Regulation on Infrastructure Sharing for the Support of Public Telecommunication Networks" regulates the sharing of infrastructure for public telecommunications networks in Costa Rica.