Barbados is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA); however, it has maintained observer status since October 2025.

It is reported that at least 25% of the equity in a telecommunications carrier must be held by Barbadian natural or legal persons. Furthermore, it is indicated that the authorities have noted that mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are also subject to the same ownership structure requirement.

According to Art. 17.5 of the Patent Act, an applicant (both foreigner and local) for a patent must be represented by a patent agent in Barbados. In addition, it is reported that to be a patent agent in Barbados, it is mandatory to be an attorney-at-law licensed and registered with the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office.

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

Barbados has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair dealing model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. According to Art. 53 of the Copyright Act, the concept of fair dealing is regulated as a general exception within the law, subject to particular conditions including: (i) the nature of the work in question; (ii) the extent and proportion of that part of the work affected by the act in relation to the whole of the work; (iii) the purpose and character of use; and (iv) the effect of the act upon the potential market for, or the commercial value, of the work. Moreover, Arts. 51 and 52 further clarify that there are exceptions to copyright regulation in Barbados, including the use for research, private study, and criticism, among others.

It is reported that in Barbados the lack of enforcement of intellectual property judgments, inadequate enforcement resources, poor implementation of existing legislation, and long-standing backlogs in the judicial system continue to be of concern.

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

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

Barbados lacks a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them. The Protection Against Unfair Competition Act, under Art. 8.2, governs the treatment of "secret information". According to this article, information is deemed secret if it meets the following criteria: (i) it is not generally known among, or easily accessible to, individuals who would typically possess knowledge of or access to such information, considering both its overall structure and specific components. (ii) it holds commercial value due to its confidential nature, and (iii) the rightful owner has taken reasonable measures under the given circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Barbados to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practiced in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

It is reported that at least 25% of the equity in a telecommunications carrier must be held by Barbadian natural or legal persons. Furthermore, it is indicated that the authorities have noted that mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are also subject to the same ownership structure requirement.

Barbados mandates functional and accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

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

It is reported that the Telecommunications Unit, the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process, although it operates under the Ministry of Innovations, Science and Smart Technologies.