Regulatory & Technology

A growing number of companies serve the Iraqi market without a plant or an office here: telecom and internet service providers, content and online platforms, software and app developers, and the companies that advertise to Iraqi consumers. For them the question is which Iraqi regulator has jurisdiction, what licence or registration is required and what can be done lawfully in the meantime. We advise on the instructions and licensing regimes of the Communications and Media Commission (CMC), on the role of the Ministry of Communications (MOC) in network, gateway and infrastructure matters, on electronic transactions and electronic signature law, on data and content obligations, and on the registration and protection of trademarks, software and other intellectual property.

We maintain direct working relationships with the ministries and regulators that a client's operations depend on, from the Ministry of Trade and the General Commission for Taxes to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labour and the National Investment Commission, for the permits, approvals, exemptions and no-objection letters that keep a business moving. We also monitor the regulators for clients on a standing basis, so that a change in a CMC instruction or a new ministerial order reaches them before it is applied to them. This monitoring feeds our weekly Iraq Legal Update.

Typical matters

• CMC licensing, registration and content rules for telecom, internet and media services
• Ministry of Communications approvals for networks, gateways and infrastructure
• Electronic transactions, electronic signature and data obligations
• Online platforms, apps, electronic games and digital advertising
• Trademark, copyright and software registration and enforcement
• Permits, approvals and no-objection letters from ministries and regulators
• Standing regulatory monitoring