MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PR OPERTY LAWS AND REGULATIONS 
NOTIFIED UNDER ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
SAUDI ARABIA  
 
Revision  
 
 The Delegation of Saudi Arabia has submitted a corrected translation of the text of the Implementing 
Regulations of Copyright Law distributed with document IP/N/1/SAU/C/2.  Please find attached the corrected version
1. 
 
Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce 
 
 
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET RÉGLEM ENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À 
LA PROPRIÉTÉ INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE 
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
 
ARABIE SAOUDITE
 
 
Révision  
 
 La délégation de l'Arabie saoudite a présen té une traduction corrigée du texte du Règlement 
d'application de la Loi sur le droit d'auteur, qui était joint au document IP/N/1/SAU/C/2. Vous trouverez ci-joint 
la version corrigée.1  
 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio 
 
 
PRINCIPALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA 
PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL NO TIFICADOS EN VIRTUD 
DEL PÁRRAFO 2 DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
 
ARABIA SAUDITA  
 
Revisión  
 
 La delegación de Arabia Saudita ha presentado una traducción corregida del texto del Reglamento de 
aplicación de la Ley de derecho de au tor, distribuido con el documento IP/N /1/SAU/C/2.  La versión corregida 
figura adjunta.1  
                                                      
 1 In English only. The text in the orig inal language is available for consultation by intere sted Delegations at the 
WTO Secretariat./En anglais seul ement.  Les délégations intéressées peuvent co nsulter le texte dans sa langue d'origine au 
Secrétariat de l'OMC./En inglés solamente.   Las delegaciones interesadas podrán cons ultar en la Secretaría de la OMC el 
texto en su idioma original. 
  WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
14 February 2007 
 (07-0640) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English/ 
 anglais/ 
 inglés IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
Page 2  
 
  IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS 
of Copyright Law 
 
  
 
 
Issued by 
The Minister of Culture and Inform ation's decision no. (1688/1) 
dated 10/04/1425H (29 May 2004) 
 
and amended by 
His Excellency's decision no. (1640) dated 
15/05/1426H (22 June 2005) 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
  
Unofficial Translation
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Article 1: Definitions  
The following words and phrases, whenever  mentioned in the articles of these 
Regulations, shall have the meanings stated next to them: 
 
(1) Proprietary right of the author: Aggregate material and immaterial interests vested in 
the person to his work. 
 
 (2) Author:  Every person who innovates by his own e ffort, any of the literary, artistic or 
scientific works such as the man of letters, th e poet, the painter or the musician or any other 
artist, according to the form of expression. 
 
(3) Innovation:  The personal style displayed by the author in his work, which makes the 
work distinctive and novel and presents the work through the elements of the concept displayed or the method employed to present the concept. 
 
(4) Infringement of copyright:  Any use of the work unauthorized by the copyright owner 
and conflicting with the instructions of us age determined by the copyright owner, or 
committing one or more of the violations prov ided for in the Law and these Regulations. 
 
 (5) Work:  It is the literary, scientific or artist ic production irrespective of its type, 
importance, form of expression or purpose. 
 
(6) Literary works:  Works which are expressed in word s whatever their content may be, 
whether written or oral. 
 
 (7) Artistic works:  Works which appeal to the sense of  beauty of the public, such as 
painting, coloring, movement, sound, picture, viewing or music. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (8) Performers:  Actors, players of musical instruments, singers, dancers, reciters and others 
who perform an artistic activity of other liter ary or artistic works in one way or another. 
 
(9) Publication:  Transmittance or communication of the work directly or indirectly to the 
public or making copies or photo copies of it or of any part of it which may be read, viewed, 
listened to or performed. 
 
(10) Producer:  A natural or corporate person who unde rtakes to transform the artistic, audio 
or audio-visual work into a material means fo r the purpose of displaying it to the public 
under its financial responsibility. 
 
(11) The Law:  Copyright Law. 
 (12) Regulations:  The implementing regulations of the Copyright Law. 
 
(13) General Department of Copyright:  The competent department in the Ministry which 
exercises the powers granted to the Ministry  by the provisions of the Law and these 
Regulations, including the technical and admi nistrative tasks necessary for implementing 
their provisions. 
 
(14) Ministry:  Ministry of Culture and Information. 
 
(15) Minister: Minister of Culture and Information.   
 
   IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Chapter One 
Protected Works and the Rights of Public Performance 
 
Article 2: Protected  Works 
A- The Following shall be among the protected works: 
(1) Dramatic works or musicals. 
(2) Choreographic and mime works. 
(3) Musical compositions with or without words. 
(4) Cinematographic works or works ex pressed by a process analogous to 
cinematography.  
(5) Sculpture, engraving and lithography. 
(6) Photographic works or works expressed by a process analogous to 
photography.  
7- News Reports. Daily News Facts are excluded of this protection.  
 
Article 3: Folklore 
(1) The Saudi Folklore shall be a public property of the state and no one may 
develop or amend it except with th e prior approval of the Ministry. 
(2) Any expression that reflects the tr aditional heritage which started or 
continued in the Kingdom of Saudi Arab ia shall be deemed part of Saudi 
Folklore, specially the following expressions: 
(a) Folk expressions, such as folk  tales, riddles, puzzles, folk 
poems and other similar traditional expressions. 
(b) Musical expressions, such as chants, songs, folk songs whether 
recited or accompanied by music. 
(c) Expressions by movement, such  as folk dances, artistic 
formations and those performed in festivals. 
(d) Plastic expressions, such as drawings by lines, colors, 
engraving and sculpture, pottery, products made from wood and iron and the like, or what is added to them of different IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  figurations such as inscriptio n and drawing, handcrafted bags, 
needle works, carpets and clothes and the like. 
(3) Import of copies of Saudi Folklore wo rks, copies of their translations or 
others, which are produced outside the Kingdom shall be prohibited except 
with the prior approval of the Ministry, 
 
Article 4: Provisions Governing Circulation of Documents 
Authors shall observe the provisions governin g circulation of official documents issued 
in the Kingdom and shall obtain official a pprovals for their publication or translation, 
including the provisions of laws, regulati ons, judicial judgments and decisions of 
administrative agencies. 
 
Article 5: Rights of Acting and Public Performance 
Authors of dramatic works, musicals and mu sical works or their representatives shall 
have the right to authorize the following: 
(1) Acting their works or performing them  publicly by all methods or means. 
(2) Fixation or transmission of acting and performance of their works to the 
public by all means. 
(3) Translation of their works. 
 
Article 6: Right of Tracing 
Authors of original plastic art and of origi nal musical manuscripts shall have the right to 
share by a percentage in the returns of any sale  transaction of these works, even if they have 
assigned the ownership of the original copy of their works. This shall not apply to works of 
architecture nor to works of applied art. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Article 7: Protection of Performers, Producers of Sound Recordings, 
 and Broadcasting Organizations 
 
First : Performers and Producers of Sound Recordings 
Performers and producers of sound record ings shall enjoy the exclusive right to 
authorize the following: 
(1) Public performance of their works, includ ing public recitation by all means or 
methods. 
(2) Transmission and performance of their works to the public by all means. 
(3) Fixation of their performance in material form. 
(4) Permission to transmit all or part of their works through the Internet. 
(5) Permission of audio fixation of their musical work and circulation thereof in 
specific countries. All copies import ed from countries with an exclusive 
license, or manufactured without perm ission from the author, shall be 
deemed in violation of copyrights and shall be subject to confiscation. 
(6) Permission to distribute and rent their original works. 
(7) Producers of sound recordings shall hav e the right to authorize or prohibit 
direct or indirect reproducti on of their sound recordings. 
 
(1) Second : Broadcasting Organizations 
Broadcasting organizations shall have the right to prohibit any of the following 
acts if undertaken without their authorization: 
(1) Fixation and reproduction of broadcasts. 
(2) Retransmission by wireless means and communication of materials to the 
public. 
(3) Determining the means of direct broadc ast and reception or through receivers 
or by cable. 
(4) Transmission to the public of radio br oadcast in public places or through 
internal wire broadcasts of closed compounds.  
 IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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Article 8: Claiming Rights 
(1) A co-author of any work may individually request taking precautionary 
measures whenever there is an infringement of copyright and may 
individually claim his share of the co mpensation for harm incurred by him. 
(2) A co-author may object to any developm ent or modification desired by the 
majority of partners in the work. 
 
Article 9: Rental Rights 
Copyright owners may rent them in the Ki ngdom in coordination with the Ministry, 
upon obtaining its prior approval and its ta king the necessary precautions, such as: 
(1) Ensuring that there is nothing to prevent renting them. 
(2) Submitting a list of works to be rented, including an indication of types of 
rentals for approval.  
(3) Determining the probable problems and  infringements which may result 
from renting to consider the possibility of avoiding them. 
(4) The beneficiary’s explaining to the ta rgeted public the rental mechanism. 
(5) Advertising, at the expense of th e copyright owners, the necessary 
instructions to the targeted public. 
(6) Fixing an effective date for the renting.  
 
Article 10: Protection of Data Bases 
The original data bases shall be protected by  reason of the selection and arrangement of 
their contents as intellectual cr eations. This protection shall not extend to the data or the 
materials themselves.  
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Chapter Two 
Violations and Procedures of Detection 
 
Section One 
Violations and Liability for Copyright Infringement 
 
Article 11: Infringement Liability 
First : Any person who obtains an original copy  of any intellectual work and exploits 
it by means of renting, adaptation or permi tting others to copy or reproduce it or any 
other acts which affect or obstruct the au thor from exercising his rights shall be 
deemed to have infringed the Copyright. 
Second : Firms shall be deemed liable for any violations committed by an employee 
against any intellectual work if their knowledge  or negligence is established, such as 
keeping forged or copied computer programs,  audio or visual tapes, or conducting 
maintenance on an electronic equipment load ed with forged programs, decoded or 
similar works. 
Third : Anyone who reproduces, sells, imports, exports, transports, publishes or rents 
protected works with knowledge of the violation shall be deemed to be committing 
an infringement of copyright and in violatio n of the provisions of the Law and these 
Regulations. 
 
Article 12: Infringement of Literary Works 
First : It shall be deemed within the scope of personal use any use of intellectual works 
for personal use only, such as reproducing the work for the purpose of preserving the 
original copy, for writing on the reproduced  copy, for translating some paragraphs or 
writing comments expressing personal opinion. Any use beyond these purposes shall not be 
deemed personal use. 
Second : Any use beyond the scope of personal use shall be deemed an infringement, 
such as the following: IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (1) Using and reproducing the work or ex ploiting it to perform job duties. 
(2) Using the work for commercial or profit making purposes. 
(3) Using the work in ways not authorized by the author. 
(4) Renting, reproducing or authorizing ot hers to reproduce or adapt the work 
under the pretext of owning an original copy. 
(5) Any act that hinders the author from ex ercising his moral or financial right. 
1. Third:
 As understood from Article 9, second ,  of this Law, include the right of 
reproduction in any manner or form  such as digital reproduction. 
fourth : Reproducing the work to make copies av ailable for commercial exploitation or for 
selling them to students, to educational institut ions or to others is deemed an infringement 
of copyright. 
Fifth : An employer’s ownership of the original co py of the work does not grant him the right 
to reproduce and distribute it among his em ployees, under the pretext of personal use. 
 
Article 13: Infringement of Audio, Visual and Broadcasting Works 
Any use beyond that specified by the owner of audio, visual and broadcasting works 
shall be deemed an infringement of copyright, such as the following: 
(1) Communicating the work to the public  without obtaining a prior license 
from the owners of the copyright, such  as use of radio, music, video or 
satellite transmission in shops, restaurant s, hotels, clubs, hospitals and other 
similar places where there are fr equent visitors or gatherings. 
(2) Breaking of protective barriers for th e purpose of presenting broadcasting 
materials through illegal means. 
(3) Reproduction of broadcast materials fo r the purpose of presentation, rental 
or sale. 
(4) Addition or removal of electronic chip s of display equipment for the purpose 
of making it exceed its manufactured lim its in order to infringe the rights of 
others. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Article 14: Infringement of Rights of Performance 
(1) It shall be an infringement of performanc e rights if the work is performed in 
school theaters or the like unless the pe rformer of the work obtains the prior 
approval of the owners. It shall be deemed lawful use in accordance with 
Article (15), Paragraph (8) of the Law if the performance of the work is in the 
classroom for the purpose of education. 
(2) It shall be deemed an infringement of copyright any reproduction of the work 
during its performance, such as ph otographing or recording it for the 
purpose of exploitation or presentation to the public without the approval of 
the owners of the right. 
 
 Article 15: Decoding of Electronic Equipment 
It shall be an infringement of copyright any  act resulting in removal of the original 
precautionary information from  the electronic equipment pr oduced by the manufacturer, 
and any person who facilitates this is deemed to be committing an act of infringement, such 
as: 
(1) Removing or adding electronic or no n-electronic devices of display and 
receiving equipment for the purpose of exceeding the limits designed by the 
manufacturer. 
(2) Canceling the original program that operates the display and receiving 
equipment and loading them with forged programs for the purpose of 
exceeding the limits and capabilities fo r which the equipment is designed. 
 
Article 16: Infringement of Computer Programs 
First : Considered as literary works, computer programs and games shall enjoy protection 
whether in the source code or in the object code. 
Second : It shall be deemed an infringement of copyright any use of the programs different 
from that specified by the owner of the right, such as: 
(1) Reproduction of software and game programs. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (2) Renting the software or game programs or  licensing their collective use in the 
absence of documents authorizing the re nting person to exercise this right 
upon obtaining the approval of the Ministry. 
(3) Loading the local networks or the eq uipment with reproduced software. 
 
Article 17: Liability of Maintenance Centers 
Workshops that provide maintenance servic e for display and receiving electronic 
equipment are deemed liable for and in infringeme nt of copyright if detected to have in their 
possession decoded equipment or equipment loaded  with forged programs, or to use forged 
programs in maintenance works. 
 
Section Two 
Procedures of Detection and Investigation of Violations 
 
Article 18: Detection of Violations 
Detection of violations of provisions of th e Law and the Regulations shall be carried out 
in any of the following cases: 
(1) Pursuant to a complaint or written notice  filed by owners of the right or their 
representatives.  
(2) Routine or sudden field visits by the insp ectors of the Ministry to public firms 
and shops that use in their activities any of the intellectual works.  
 
Article 19: Procedures of Detection and Inspection 
When performing detection and inspection , detecting officers shall follow these 
procedures: 
(1) Entering sites of firms which produce,  display, distribute, sell, use or 
provide maintenance services to any of the protected works, including 
annexes and affiliates of those sites.  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (2) Seizure of copies of works and equipment strongly believed to be subject of 
infringement and of the relevant documents, when necessary, and recording such in the detection record. 
(3) Prompt questioning of the violator and those working in the firm, if 
considered fit, after confronting them with the violation of which they are 
accused. In all cases, the violator shall be permitted to submit his defenses in 
writing or record them, and enclose the same along with the documents 
submitted with the detection record, after recording the violator’s name, 
nationality, capacity and identification  number as well as other evidentiary 
information. 
(4) Notifying the accused of the violation of his obligation to appear before the 
competent authority within a period not exceeding three days, along with 
documents relevant to the matter detected. 
(5) In case the person accused of the viol ation or his representative does not 
appear within three working days from the date of the violation detection, 
he shall be summoned again to appear before the competent investigating 
officer within a period not exceeding five days. In case he fails to appear, the matter shall be reported to the police to summon him in order to complete the procedures of investigation, or the store shall be closed until he 
responds. 
 
Article 20: Detection Tasks 
First
: The officials of the General Department of Copyright in Riyadh and its branches in the 
Kingdom’s provinces or the departments and offi ces of printed materials in provinces where 
there are no branches for the Department sha ll be responsible for the task of detecting 
violations and securing the evidence proving th e existence of an infringement of copyright, 
such as equipment, works or commodities. 
Second : A record for detecting the violation shall be drafted and signed by the drafter, and it 
shall contain the following information: 
(1) Name, address of the store and identification of its owner. 
(2) Place where the violation was detected  and time by hour, day and month. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (3) Names of workers in the site when the violation was detected. 
(4) Title, nature of the work subject of the violation, number and specification of 
copies detected. 
(5) Type, facts, reasons and circumstances of the violation. 
 
Article 21: Analysis of Evidence 
The General Department of Copyright or th e competent branch shall, immediately upon 
receiving the evidence, take the following procedures: 
(1) Conducting an external examination and  inspection of equipment or works 
detected with regard to their external condition and number. 
(2) Inspecting and analyzing the content of evidence detected in order to ensure 
whether or not they contain evidence of copyright infringement and preparing a written inspection report in dicating the condition of the materials 
detected. 
(3) The complainant (plaintiff) may be permi tted to conduct a brief inspection of 
the equipment with the participation of the analyst in the Department in order to prove the complaint, if the analysis proves the absence of 
infringement. 
(4) The analyst shall submit his recommendation and report on the complaint to 
the Department, showing the extent to which the complaint is proved or not. 
 
Article 22: Report of Evidence Analysis  
The competent department which detected
 the works whose copyright is proved to be 
infringed shall prepare a report containi ng the following detailed information: 
(1) Detailed description of the work. 
(2) Number of copies of the works detected and their sale price for the public at 
the time of detection. 
(3) Violations and infringements in the work. 
(4) Method and form of infringement and whether committed inside or outside 
the Kingdom.  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (5) Method of detecting the violation, whether pursuant to a complaint, a tip or a 
field visit. 
(6) Method and form of displaying the violating works to the public. 
(7) Any information or other technical facts about the work and the method of 
infringement, in order to confront the violator therewith. 
 
Article 23: Investigation of Violations 
(1) In case of violations in the works or detected equipment, the competent 
investigating officer shall initiate a record to enter the statements of the 
person or persons accused of the viol ation or whoever acts on their behalf 
and their defenses, in relation to the in formation recorded in the report by the 
analyst, and to the complaint made against them. 
(2) The investigation record shall contain the following data: 
(a) Hour, day, date and place of the investigation. 
(b) Name of the investigating officer and his capacity.  
(c) Name of the person accused of the violation, his 
identification number and contact addresses. 
(d) Confronting him with the violations of which he is 
specifically accused. 
(e) Complete answers of the person accused of the 
violation to the questions addressed to him, including 
his defenses and the statements of witnesses, if any. 
(3) The violator shall be questioned about the time period in which he infringed 
on the work and the financial returns he has realized. 
(4) The investigator may, if necessary, summon anyone whose testimony he 
deems indispensable regarding the violation, and enter the same in the 
record. 
(5) The General Department of Copyright may seek the assistance of experts to 
reveal violations in accordance with th e administrative procedures governing 
this.  
(6) The persons testifying shall sign at the end of every answer they give, and 
each page of the record shall be sign ed by the investigator and those who IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  have been interrogated, in addition to  the witnesses. The pages shall be 
drafted in a consecutive serial order without cancellation or amendment. 
(7) The investigator shall conclude the inve stigation record with the results he 
has reached, attaching therewith the documents, evidences and proofs 
submitted, along with the time of its completion.  
(8) Departments and branches of the General Department of Copyright and 
printed material offices in the provin ces where there are no branches for the 
General Department of Copyright shall re fer the record of investigation along 
with all documents relevant to the infrin gement to the General Director of the 
Department.  
(9) The General Department shall review all procedures and investigations, 
determine the violations committed, the ar ticles governing these violations in 
the Law and these Regulations, and the views of the Department. 
(10) The information related to the case  shall be entered in a special 
register in order to make entries thereof. 
(11) The General Department of Copyright shall refer the cases and 
violations along with all relevant documents to the violation review 
committee for consideration. 
 
Article 24: The Right to Claim Compensation 
The copyright owner or his representative is entitled to claim compensation for 
damages incurred as the result of the infringement  of any of his rights protected by law, and 
shall submit a written memorandum to the compet ent department, if he desires, in which he 
explains in detail the damages incurred as a result of this infringement and how they 
occurred, as well as the estimated amount of compensation claimed by him and the basis for 
such estimation. In all cases, he shall pres ent the evidence and documents supporting his 
statements. The officer investigating the viol ation shall cross-examine him regarding such 
evidence and documents and check the gravity of  the violation, and inform the defendant of 
what is brought against him, and grant him th e ability to present his views and answers in 
this respect, and then refer the claim to the violation review committee for decision. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Article 25: Procedures and Rules of the Violation Review Committee 
The committee shall exercise its jurisdiction in  reviewing all violations of the provisions 
of the Law and these Regulations and shall dete rmine the punishments according to what is 
stipulated in Article (22) of the Law in prop ortion to the gravity of infringement and the 
number of violations recorded with the committee against the violating party, and 
compensate owners of copyrights for the dama ge incurred by them, subject to the following: 
(1) The chairman of the committee shall supervise its technical and 
administrative work, and shall determine the dates of sessions to review the cases brought before the committee in  coordination with the members. 
(2) The committee may convene its meetings if attended by not less than two 
thirds of the members, provided that  the legal and Shari’ah counselors are 
present. 
(3) The committee, as necessary, may seek the assistance of experts to obtain 
their opinions on some of the violations brought before it. 
(4) The committee may summon any party to the violation to hear his 
statements, the inspector who detected the violation, the information analyst, or the investigator or any other person whose statements the committee deems necessary to hear. 
(5) The Committee may return the violation papers to the investigation authority 
in order to request additional informatio n, or to complete whatever it deems 
necessary regarding the investigations. 
(6) Decisions of the committee shall be issued by majority vote and shall be 
referred by the chairman of the committee to the Minister, and said decisions 
shall not be effective unless approved by the Minister. 
(7) If the committee finds the violation committed grave and punishable with 
imprisonment or a fine exceeding one hu ndred thousand riyals, or closing the 
store permanently and canceling the lic ense, the matter shall be referred to 
the Minister for his approval to forw ard this violation to the Board of 
Grievances for review, and to determin e the appropriate punishment against 
the infringer. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (8) The committee shall inform the Genera l Department of Copyright of the 
approved decisions in order to notify th e relevant department to carry out the 
prescribed punishments. 
 
Article 26: Restrictions on the Execution of Punishments 
(1) In case of a grievance regarding the de cision issued by the committee before 
the Board of Grievances, the punishment s stated in the decision shall be 
suspended until a final judgment in relati on thereto is rendered by the Board. 
(2) Punishments within the jurisdiction of  the Board of Grievances shall be 
carried out after a final judgment in connection therewith is rendered by the 
Board. 
(3) When punishments are carried out, the following shall be taken into 
consideration: 
(a) The competent department shall notify the person against 
whom the punishment is issued or his representative of the 
decision issued against him by  an official letter stating the 
number of the decision issu ed, its date and punishments 
prescribed therein, and it sha ll be delivered to him or his 
representative or the person fo und in the firm after signing a 
copy of the letter, showing date of notification, name of the person who delivered the notifi cation, his capacity, signature 
and identification number. 
(b) In case the violator is notified of the decision by official mail, 
he shall be considered notified after two weeks from the date of mailing the letter by registered or official mail. 
(c) Upon payment of the fine prescribed in the decision by the 
violator, the Department shall complete the execution of the other punishments, such as prov isional closure, suspension of 
participation of the firm in occasions or exhibitions, collection 
of compensation and the like. 
(d) If a judgment is rendered by the Board of Grievances to cancel 
the license, the Ministry shall notify the government body that  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
 Page 19 
 
 
  issued the license to cancel it , and follow up the execution of 
the judgment. 
(e) The fine shall be paid to the treasury of the Ministry against an 
official receipt to be delivered to the Department in charge of 
execution of the punishment or by a certified check payable to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency and delivered to the Department concerned. 
(f) The Department concerned shall refer the check to the 
competent authority at the Ministry to collect the fine, and a copy of which shall be kept in the file of the firm. 
(g) If the violator fails to pay the fi ne within fifteen (15) days from 
the date of the execution of the punishment, the police shall be 
addressed to compel him to pay, and the Ministry may close his store until he pays the amount. 
(h) The Ministry shall prepare a summary of the content of the 
judgment rendered against the viol ator if the decision provides 
for the punishment of publicizing the conviction in accordance with Article (22), Paragraph (5) of the Law, and shall be published at the expense of the vi olator in a distinct place in 
one or two daily newspapers of wide circulation, one of which 
is published in the area where the head office of the violator is 
located, according to the gravity of the violation. 
 
Section Three 
Protective Seizure 
 
Article 27: Provisional Protective Measures 
(1) The committee has the authority to take  immediate provisional measures in 
order to prevent infringement of any copyright, and to prevent imported works that contain infringement of copyright from reaching commercial outlets. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
Page 20  
 
  (2) The committee has the authority to take  provisional measures without the 
knowledge of the other party, if it is  likely that a delay would result in 
harming him or it is likely to damage the evidence. 
(3) The committee may request the plaintiff: 
(a) To submit any evidence in his possession affirming that he is 
the owner of the right. 
(b) To submit preliminary evidence proving that his right is being 
infringed or is about to be infringed. 
(c) To submit a financial guarant ee sufficient to protect the 
defendant and prevent abuse of rights or exercise thereof. 
(d) The committee may request the plaintiff to submit any 
evidence necessary in order to determine the extent of the 
legitimacy of the lawsuit. 
(4) The committee, after taking the protecti ve seizure measures, may notify the 
affected parties to submit their viewpo int and defenses within a provisional 
period not exceeding thirty one (31) days from the date of initiating the 
protective measures in order to consider  whether to amend, cancel or confirm 
such measures. 
(5) The committee may cancel the measures taken in accordance with Paragraphs 
(1) and (2) of this Article pursuant to  a request by the defendant, or suspend 
said measures if the plaintiff does no t submit documents required from him 
within a time period determined by the committee, and not exceeding thirty 
one (31) days. 
(6) Upon cancellation of provisional measur es or expiry of their effectiveness 
period as a result of the plaintiff’s ne gligence, or upon becoming evident later 
that there was no infringement upon the works or commodities, the 
committee may, upon request of the defendant, order the plaintiff to pay 
appropriate compensations for any damage incurred by the defendant as a result of such measures. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Article 28: Measures at Borders 
(1) A copyright owner, who has legitimate reasons to suspect that works 
infringing his rights are intended for importation or exportation, may submit 
a written request to the committee in order to stop and seize works imported 
or intended for importation or exportation, upon reaching the borders. 
(2) The committee may request the plaint iff to submit a financial guarantee 
sufficient to protect the defendant  and prevent abuse of rights. 
(3) The plaintiff shall submit to the committ ee, within a period not exceeding ten 
(10) working days, the complaint and the supporting evidence that determine the infringements he has incurred, provid ed that the period of seizure does 
not exceed thirty one (31) days, afte r which amendment, cancellation or 
confirmation of such measures shall be considered. 
(4) The committee may decide that the plaint iff pay to the importer or exporter 
an appropriate compensation for damage s incurred by them as a result of 
wrongful seizure of works. 
(5) The committee may grant the owner of the right (the plaintiff) sufficient 
opportunity to inspect the works in order to prove his allegations. 
(6) The importer is entitled to an equal opportunity to inspect any of these 
commodities. 
(7) The committee, in case the infringement is  proved, is authorized to notify the 
owner of the right of the names and addresses of the sender and addressee of the works as well as their quantities. 
 
Article 29: Precautionary Protective Seizure 
The Ministry’s office at the point of entr y at the border may stop the procedure for 
release of works upon having prima facie  evidence proving existence of copyright 
infringement, after coordination with the cust oms department at the point of entry. The 
office shall immediately notify the General De partment of Copyright to take the necessary 
measures, in coordination with the committee. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  Chapter Three 
General Provisions 
 
Article 30: Mandatory Licenses 
The provisions regulating the procedures of  issuing mandatory licenses shall apply to 
works published for the first time in the Kin gdom of Saudi Arabia, and licenses shall not be 
granted before the expiration of three years from the publication date of the edition in 
question, in accordance with the following procedures: 
(1) The Ministry shall ensure that copies  of the works in printed form or 
reproduced in any similar form are not displayed for sale in the Kingdom by 
the copyright owner or whoever acts on his behalf, or pursuant to permission 
from him, in response to the purposes referred to in Article (16) of the Law, 
unless such copies are displayed for sale  within a continuous period of not 
less than six months. 
(2) The applicant shall submit proof that he has requested a license from the 
copyright owner but failed to obtain it, or  that he was unable  to find him after 
exerting necessary efforts. 
(3) He shall submit proof that he has made  such a request to the publisher whose 
name appears on the work but has not received a response from him. 
(4) No license shall be granted unless it is proved that the author is unknown or 
impossible to contact, and the license a pplicant submits the data proving such 
and submits the necessary guarantees to fulfill the rights of the copyright owner once he applies to claim his right, and the Ministry accepts these 
guarantees. 
(5) The license shall not be granted before the expiration of a period not less than 
six months from the applicant’s attempts  [to obtain a license] from the author 
or the publisher. 
(6) No license shall be granted if the auth or or the publisher reprints his work 
during the six-month period. 
(7) No permission shall be granted if the author has withdrawn from circulation 
all copies of the edition subject of the application.  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
 Page 23 
 
 
  (8) The permission shall not be granted if  it is for pure commercial purposes. 
 
Article 31: Public Property 
 
First:  All unprotected works by Saudi author s or whose period of protection has 
expired in accordance with the provisio ns of the Law and these Regulations 
shall become public property, and the Mi nistry shall act as the copyright owner 
thereon. 
Second : Copyrights in this  law applies to all fo reign works which, as of the date of entry 
into force of this law, have not yet fallen into the public domain in the country of 
origin through the expiry of term of protection. 
 
Article 32: Nature of Protection 
(1) All intellectual works of whatever type wh ether literary, scientific or artistic 
shall enjoy protection under the Law and these Regulations if they are 
permitted for circulation in the Kingdom. 
(2) Foreign intellectual works shall enjoy protection in accordance with the 
principles of international agreements  relating to copyright to which the 
Kingdom is a party, on the basis of the principle of national treatment. 
(3) The scope of protection as stated in Article  18 of the Law related to international 
agreements of copyrights is extended to related rights stated in Article 7 of this 
Implementing Regulations. 
 
Article 33: Calculation of Protection Period  
(1) Musical and cinematographic works sha ll enjoy protection for fifty years 
effective from the first production of  the work, and the period shall be 
calculated from the end of the Gregor ian year in which it was produced. 
(2) Computer programs shall enjoy protection  as literary works for a period not 
less than fifty years from the date of first production if the author is a 
corporate person or is anonymous. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2/Rev.1 
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  (3) Protection period of computer programs where the author is a natural person 
shall be in accordance with the protecti on specified for other literary works. 
 
Article 34: Expiration of Protection Period  
The author may object to reproduction or sa le of his works or making a work derived 
from his original work upon expiry of financia l rights and protection period, in case of 
damage to his honor and reputation or distortion and alteration of the work. 
 
Article 35: Effectiveness of the Regulations 
These Regulations shall be published in the O fficial Gazette and shall be effective after 
two months from the date of publication.  
 
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