WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
13 November 2006 
 (06-5473) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English/ 
 anglais/  inglés 
 
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 
LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOTIFIED UNDER 
ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
SAUDI ARABIA 
  The present document reproduces the text
1 of the Implementing Regulations of Copyright 
Law, which Saudi Arabia has notified under Ar ticle 63.2 of the Agreement (see document 
IP/N/1/SAU/1).  
 
Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce  
 
 
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET RÉGLEMENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À LA 
PROPRIÉTÉ INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE 
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
 
ARABIE SAOUDITE 
  Le présent document contient le texte
1 du Règlement d'application de la Loi sur le droit 
d'auteur, notifié par l'Arabie saoudite au titre de  l'article 63:2 de l'Accord (voir le document 
IP/N/1/SAU/1).  
 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio  
 
 
PRINCIPALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA PROPIEDAD 
INTELECTUAL NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD DEL PÁRRAFO 2 
DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
 
ARABIA SAUDITA 
  En el presente documento se reproduce el texto
1 del Reglamento de aplicación de la Ley de 
derecho de autor, que Arabia Saudita ha notifica do en virtud del párrafo 2 del artículo 63 del Acuerdo 
(véase el documento IP/N/1/SAU/1). 
                                                      
 1 In English only. The text in the original language is available for consultation by interested 
Delegations at the WTO Secretariat./En anglais seulemen t.  Les délégations intéressées peuvent consulter le 
texte dans sa langue d'origine, au Secrétariat de l'OM C./En inglés solamente.  Las delegaciones interesadas 
podrán consultar en la Secretaría de la OMC el texto en su idioma original. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
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IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS 
OF COPYRIGHT LAW 
  
 
  
 
  
Issued by 
The Minister of Culture and Informat ion'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 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Article 1: Definitions 
 
The following words and phrases, whenever men tioned 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 effort , any of the literary, artistic or scientific 
works such as the man of letters, the poet, the painte r or the musician or any other artist, according to 
the form of expression. 
 
(3) Innovation:  The personal style displayed by the aut hor 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 usage determin ed by the copyright owner, or committing one or 
more of the violations provided fo r in the Law and these Regulations. 
 
(5) Work:  It is the literary, scientific or artistic produc tion irrespective of its type, importance, form 
of expression or purpose.  (6) Literary works:  Works which are expressed in words wh atever their content may be, whether 
written or oral. 
 
(7) Artistic works:  Works which appeal to the sense of b eauty of the public, such as painting, 
coloring, movement, sound, picture, viewing or music.  (8) Performers:  Actors, players of musical instruments, singers, dancers, reciters and others who 
perform an artistic activity of other literary 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 undert akes to transform the artistic, audio or 
audio-visual work into a material means for 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 administrative 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 
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  Chapter One 
Protected Works and the Rights of Public Performance 
 
Article 2: Artistic Works 
 A- The Following shall be among the original protected works: 
 
(1) Dramatic works or musicals. 
(2) Choreographic and mime works. 
(3) Musical compositions with or without words. 
(4) Cinematographic works or works expressed by a process analogous to 
cinematography.  
(5) Sculpture, engraving and lithography. 
(6) Photographic works or works expressed by a process analogous to photography.  
 
B-  Innovated News Reports are protected in th is Law as for their compilations, selections and 
arrangements. Daily News Facts are excluded of this protection.  
Article 3: Folklore 
 
(1) The Saudi Folklore shall be a public propert y of the state and no one may develop or 
amend it except with the prior approval of the Ministry. 
(2) Any expression that reflects the traditional her itage which started or continued in the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 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 fro m wood and iron and the like, or 
what is added to them of different figurations such as inscription and drawing, handcrafted bags, needle works, carpets and clothes and the 
like. 
(3) Import of copies of Saudi Folklore works, c opies 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 governing circulation of official documents issued in the 
Kingdom and shall obtain official approvals for their publication or translation, including the 
provisions of laws, regulations, judicial judgmen ts and decisions of administrative agencies. 
 
Article 5: Rights of Acting and Public Performance 
Authors of dramatic works, musicals and musical  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.  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
 Page 5 
 
 
  (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 original mu sical manuscripts shall have the right to share by 
a percentage in the returns of any sale transacti on of these works, even if they have assigned the 
ownership of the original copy of their works. Th is shall not apply to works of architecture nor to 
works of applied art. 
 
Article 7: Protection of Performers, Producers of Sound Recordings, 
 and Broadcasting Organizations 
 
First
: Performers and Producers of Sound Recordings 
 
Performers and producers of sound recordings sh all enjoy the exclusive right to authorize 
the following: 
 
(1) Public performance of their works, including 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 imported from countries with an exclusive license, or manufactured without permission 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 have the right to authorize or prohibit direct or 
indirect reproduction of their sound recordings. 
 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 broadcast and reception or through receivers or by 
cable. 
(4) Transmission to the public of radio broadcast in public places or through internal wire 
broadcasts of closed compounds.  
 
Third : Broadcasting Organizations 
 
Broadcasting organizations shall have the right to prohibit any of the following acts if 
undertaken without their authorization: 
 
(5) Fixation and reproduction of broadcasts. 
(6) Retransmission by wireless means and communication of materials to the public. (7) Determining the means of direct broadcast and reception or through receivers or by 
cable. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
Page 6  
 
  (8) Transmission to the public of radio broadcast in public places or through internal wire 
broadcasts of closed compounds. 
 
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 compensation for harm incurred by him. 
 (2) A co-author may object to any development 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 taking 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 targeted public the rental mechanism. 
(5) Advertising, at the expense of the copyri ght 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 creations. This protection shall not extend to the data or the materials 
themselves.  
 
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 permitting others  to copy or reproduce it or any other acts which 
affect or obstruct the author from exercising hi s rights shall be deemed to have infringed the 
Copyright. 
 
 Second : Firms shall be deemed liable for any vi olations 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 
loaded with forged programs , decoded or similar works. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
 Page 7 
 
 
   Third : Anyone who reproduces, sells, imports, exports, transports, publishes or rents 
protected works with knowledge of the violation sha ll be deemed to be comm itting an infringement of 
copyright and in violation 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 fo r 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 sh all be deemed an infringement, such as 
the following: 
 (1) Using and reproducing the work or exploiting 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 others  to reproduce or adapt the work under the 
pretext of owning an original copy. 
(5) Any act that hinders the author from exercising his moral or financial right. 
(6) As understood from Article 9, second,  of th is Law, include the right of reproduction 
in any manner or form such as digital reproduction. 
 
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, restaurants, hotels, clubs, hospitals and other similar places where there are frequent visitors or gatherings. 
(2) Breaking of protective barriers for the purpose of presenting broadcasting materials 
through illegal means. 
(3) Reproduction of broadcast materials for the purpose of presentation, rental or sale. 
(4) Addition or removal of electronic chips of display equipment for the purpose of 
making it exceed its manufactured limits in order to infringe the rights of others. 
 
Article 14: Infringement of Rights of Performance 
 
(1) It shall be an infringement of performance rights if the work is performed in school 
theaters or the like unless the performer of th e 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 c opyright any reproduction of the work during 
its performance, such as photographing or recording it for the purpose of exploitation 
or presentation to the public without the approval of the owners of the right. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
Page 8  
 
  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 produced 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 non-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 fo r the purpose of exceeding the limits and 
capabilities for 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. 
(2) Renting the software or game programs or licensing their collective use in the 
absence of documents authorizing the renting person to exercise this right upon obtaining the approval of the Ministry. 
(3) Loading the local networks or the equipment with reproduced software. 
 Article 17: Liability of Maintenance Centers 
 
Workshops that provide maintenance service for display and receiving electronic equipment are 
deemed liable for and in infringement of copyright  if detected to have in their possession decoded 
equipment or equipment loaded with forged progr ams, 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 the Law a nd 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 inspectors of the Ministry to public firms and 
shops that use in their activiti es any of the intellectual works.  
 
Article 19: Procedures of Detection and Inspection 
 
When performing detection and inspection, de tecting officers shall follow these procedures: 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
 Page 9 
 
 
  (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. 
(2) Seizure of copies of works and equipmen t 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, na tionality, 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 violati on 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 co mpetent 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 offices of printed materials in provinces where there are 
no branches for the Department shall be responsible for the task of detecting violations and securing 
the evidence proving the existence of an infringeme nt 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. 
(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 the competent branch shall, immediately upon receiving 
the evidence, take the following procedures: 
 (1) Conducting an external examination and insp ection of equipment or works detected 
with regard to their external condition and number. 
(2) Inspecting and analyzing the content of evid ence detected in order to ensure whether 
or not they contain evidence of copyright infringement and preparing a written 
inspection report indicating the condition of the materials detected. 
(3) The complainant (plaintiff) may be permitted to conduct a brief inspection of the 
equipment with the participation of the anal yst in the Department in order to prove 
the complaint, if the analysis proves the absence of infringement. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
Page 10  
 
  (4) The analyst shall submit his recommendation and report on the complaint to the 
Department, showing the extent to wh ich the complaint is proved or not. 
 
Article 22: Report of Evidence Analysis  
 The competent department which detected the wo rks whose copyright is proved to be infringed 
shall prepare a report containing the following detailed information: 
 (1) Detailed description of the work. 
(2) Number of copies of the works detected a nd 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 wh ether committed inside or outside the 
Kingdom. 
(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 detect ed equipment, the competent investigating 
officer shall initiate a record to enter the statements of the person or persons accused 
of the violation or whoever acts on their beha lf and their defenses, in relation to the 
information recorded in the report by the an alyst, 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 th e 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 the admi nistrative 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 signed by the investigator and those who have been 
interrogated, in addition to the witnesses. Th e pages shall be drafted in a consecutive 
serial order without cancellation or amendment.  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
 Page 11 
 
 
   
(7) The investigator shall conclude the inves tigation 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 provinces where there are no branches for the General 
Department of Copyright shall refer the record of investigation along with all 
documents relevant to the infringement to the General Director of the Department.  
 
(9) The General Department shall review all pr ocedures and investigations, determine the 
violations committed, the articles 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 competent 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 b asis for such estimation. In all cases, he shall 
present the evidence and documents supporting his stat ements. The officer investigating the violation 
shall cross-examine him regarding such eviden ce and documents and check the gravity of the 
violation, and inform the defendant of what is  brought against him, and grant him the ability to 
present his views and answers in this respect, and then refer the claim to the violation review 
committee for decision. 
 
Article 25: Procedures and Rules of the Violation Review Committee 
The committee shall exercise its jurisdiction in revi ewing all violations of the provisions of the 
Law and these Regulations and shall determine the punishments according to what is stipulated in 
Article (22) of the Law in proportion to the grav ity of infringement and the number of violations 
recorded with the committee against the violating pa rty, and compensate owners of copyrights for the 
damage incurred by them, subject to the following: 
 (1) The chairman of the committee shall superv ise 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 a ttended 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 in formation analyst, or the investigator or 
any other person whose statements the committee deems necessary to hear. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
Page 12  
 
  (5) The Committee may return the violation papers to the investigation authority in order 
to request additional information, 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 hundred thousand riyals, or closing the store permanently and canceling the license, the matte r shall be referred to the Minister for 
his approval to forward this violation to the Board of Grievances for review, and to 
determine the appropriate punishment against the infringer. 
(8) The committee shall inform the General Department of Copyright of the approved 
decisions in order to notify the relevant department to carry out the prescribed punishments. 
 Article 26: Restrictions on the Execution of Punishments  
(1) In case of a grievance regarding the deci sion issued by the committee before the 
Board of Grievances, the punishments stated  in the decision shall be suspended until 
a final judgment in relation 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 th erewith 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 issued, its date and punishments prescribed therein, and it shall be delivered to him or his representative or the person found in the firm after signing a copy of the letter, s howing date of notification, name 
of the person who delivered the notification, 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 provisional 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 issued the 
license to cancel it, and follow up the execution of the judgment. 
(e) The fine shall be paid to the tr easury 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. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
 Page 13 
 
 
  (f) The Department concerned shall re fer 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 fine 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 violator if the decision provides for the punishment of publicizing the conviction in accordance with Article 
(22), Paragraph (5) of the Law, a nd shall be published at the expense 
of the violator 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 locat ed, according to the gravity of the 
violation. 
 
Section Three 
Protective Seizure 
 Article 27: Provisional Protective Measures  
(1) The committee has the authority to take i mmediate provisional measures in order to 
prevent infringement of any copyright, and to prevent imported works that contain infringement of copyright from reaching commercial outlets. 
 (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 guarantee sufficient to protect the defendant 
and prevent abuse of rights or exercise thereof. 
(d) The committee may request the pl aintiff to submit any evidence 
necessary in order to determine the extent of the legitimacy of the 
lawsuit. 
 
(4) The committee, after taking the protective sei zure measures, may notify the affected 
parties to submit their viewpoint 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 not 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 measures or expiry of their effectiveness period as a 
result of the plaintiff’s negligence, or upon becoming evident later that there was no IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
Page 14  
 
  infringement upon the works or commodities, the committee may, upon request of the 
defendant, order the plaintiff to pay a ppropriate compensations for any damage 
incurred by the defendant as a result of such measures. 
 
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 plaintiff to submit a financial guarantee sufficient to 
protect the defendant and prevent abuse of rights. 
 (3) The plaintiff shall submit to the committee, within a period not exceeding ten (10) 
working days, the complaint and the supporting evidence that determine the 
infringements he has incurred, provided th at the period of seizure does not exceed 
thirty one (31) days, after which amendm ent, cancellation or confirmation of such 
measures shall be considered. 
 (4) The committee may decide that the plaintiff pay to the importer or exporter an 
appropriate compensation for damages 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 opportun ity to inspect any of these commodities. 
 (7) The committee, in case the infringement is pr oved, 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 entry 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 customs department at the point of entry. The office shall immediately notify 
the General Department of Copyright to take the necessary measures, in coordination with the 
committee. 
 
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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and licenses shall not be granted before 
the expiration of three years from the publication da te of the edition in question, in accordance with 
the following procedures: 
 (1) The Ministry shall ensure that copies of th e works in printed form or reproduced in 
any similar form are not displayed for sale in the Kingdom by the copyright owner or  IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
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  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 su ch 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 applicant 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 author or  the publisher reprints his work during the 
six-month period. 
(7) No permission shall be granted if the aut hor has withdrawn from circulation all copies 
of the edition subject of the application. 
(8) The permission shall not be granted if it is for pure commercial purposes. 
 Article 31: Public Property 
 
1- All unprotected works by Saudi authors or whose period of protection has expired in accordance 
with the provisions of the Law and these Regula tions shall become public property, and the 
Ministry shall act as the copyright owner thereon. 
 
2- Copyrights in this  law applies to all forei gn 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 pr otection in accordance with the principles of 
international agreements relating to copyri ght to which the Kingdom is a party, on the 
basis of the principle of national treatment. 
 (3) The scope of protection as stated in Artic le 18 of the Law related to international 
agreements of copyrights is extended to related rights stated in this article. 
 
Article 33: Calculation of Protection Period  
 (1) Musical and cinematographic works shall enjo y protection for fifty years effective from 
the first production of the work, and the peri od shall be calculated from the end of the 
Gregorian 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 au thor is a corporate person or is anonymous. IP/N/1/SAU/C/2 
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(3) Protection period of computer programs where th e author is a natural person shall be in 
accordance with the protection speci fied for other literary works. 
 
Article 34: Expiration of Protection Period  
 
The author may object to reproduction or sale of his works or making a work derived from his 
original work upon expiry of financial 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 Official Gazette and shall be effective after two months 
from the date of publication.  
 
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