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

In June 2021, the Pakistani National Tariff Commission imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty for a period of five years on imports of phthalic anhydride (HS code: 291735) from China, Chinese Taipei, the Republic of Korea and Russia. This product is used in the production of flexible PVC products such as cables. The duty imposed on imports originating from China is 11.12%, from the Republic of Korea ranges from 9.57% to 14.82%, from Chinese Taipei ranges from 14.94% to 24.61%, and from Russia is 16.31%.

According to Art. 24 of the Public Procurement Rules, procuring agencies are required to prioritise domestic suppliers or contractors when evaluating and comparing bids against international competitors. It is reported that a price preference of up to 25% is applied in all public procurement processes, depending on the level of domestic value-added content. The maximum preference is granted when at least 35% of the value added originates domestically

Pakistan is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). However, the country has been an observer of the WTO GPA since 2015.

There are no ownership restrictions on sectors relevant for digital trade. However, it is reported that Pakistan prohibits foreign ownership in all sectors for citizens/companies from India and Israel.

It is reported that Pakistan implements investment screening mechanisms for inbound foreign investments, blocking those deemed to pose a risk to national security based on the screening process. While the Board of Investment serves as the official lead agency for investment screening, it lacks the internal capacity to conduct such screenings and relies heavily on intelligence agencies to carry out the necessary due diligence.

Pakistan is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The Copyright Ordinance of 1962 establishes a clear framework of copyright exceptions based on the fair dealing model, allowing the lawful use of copyrighted works by others without prior permission. Section 57, introduced through the 2000 amendment, outlines these exceptions, which include uses such as research or private study, criticism or review, and the public reading or recitation of reasonable excerpts from published literary or dramatic works, among others.

Pakistan is reported to exhibit high levels of online piracy, accompanied by inadequate enforcement mechanisms. Piracy is prevalent across multiple domains, including digital content and software. In addition, further measures appear to be required to address the issue of government use of unlicensed software within Pakistan.

Pakistan has not adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Papua New Guinea lacks a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions.

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

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

Papua New Guinea enacted the Electronic Transactions Act, drawing upon the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

According to Art. 4 of the Commercial Advertisement (Protection of Local Industry) Act, advertising material intended for publication in the country must be produced, created or placed for publication by: (i) citizens resident in the country; (ii) non-citizens who are ordinarily resident and either occupy a position approved under the Employment of Non-citizens Act 1978 or hold a valid work permit for that purpose; or (iii) corporations registered in the country, including foreign enterprises that have obtained a certificate under Section 25 of the Investment Promotion Act 1992 specifically for producing and placing advertising material.
Subject to the Act, advertising material – or any of its parts – produced or created outside the country may not be published domestically in newspapers, cinemas, on radio, broadcast or cable television, or by any other means. However, under Art. 5, where the technical facilities or means of production required for certain advertising material are not available in the country, that material may, to the extent of such technical unavailability, be produced abroad for subsequent publication in the country.