implementing regulations of Copyright Law

Article 1: Definitions:

  • The following words and phrases, wherever they appear in the articles of the Regulation, shall indicate the meanings stated by before each of them:

    • Copyright: A collection of moral and material interests which are vested in a person's work.

    • Author: Every artist who innovates with his or her efforts in any literary, artistic or scientific work, such as writer, poet, painter, musician or other artist, according to the template in which expression is empty.

    • Innovation: The personal character that the author displays in his work and gives the work distinction. The work stands out through the essentials of the thought he displayed or the way he presented it.

    • Copyright infringement: Any unauthorized use of a classifier by the rightful holder that violates the instructions for use specified by the right holder, or the Authority of one or more of the infractions provided for in the law and this regulation.

    • Work: An innovative literary, scientific or artistic production of any kind, significance, expression and purpose.

    • Literature: Works and products expressed in words, whatever their content, that is, written or oral. Art

    • Publications: Works and products that appeal to the general public's aesthetic such as drawing, painting, movement, sound, image, viewing or music.

    • Performance artists: Actors, musicians, singers, dancers, choirs and others who perform works and products of art in one form or another of literary or artistic works and products.

    • Publication: Communicating or communicating directly or indirectly the work to the public or extracting copies or images from it or from any part of the work that can be read, seen, heard or performed.

    • Product: A natural or juridical person who, for the purpose of presenting the audiovisual work to the public, places the audiovisual work on a physical prop under his/her financial responsibility.

    • Sound Recording – phonogram: The fixing of sounds for performance or other sounds, or the fixing of sound representation in a form other than an installation included in another audiovisual work.

    • Audio Recording Product: A natural or juridical person initiated and responsible for installing for the first time the sounds constituting the performance or other sounds, or for installing any representation of the sounds. Sound Recording Producer: The natural or legal person who, on his own initiative and responsibility, fixes the sounds for the first time to make the performance or other sounds, or fixes any representation of the sounds. Compulsory license: Authorizing others to exploit the work without the consent of the author or the copyright holders, in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the law and the regulation.

    • Law: Copyright Law.

    • Regulation: implementing regulation of the Law. Competent Department: competent Department of the Authority.

    • Authority: Saudi Authority of Intellectual Property.

    • Council: The Authority’s Board of Directors.

Chapter 1: Protected works and products, products and public performance rights

Article 2:

  • Protected Works and products The following works and products – for example without limitation shall be protected:

    • 1. Theatrical works and products or musical plays.

    • 2. Works and products performed by artistic movements or steps, and gestures.

    • 3. Cinematographic works or products or those expressed in cinematographic style.

    • 4. Works and products related to carving, drilling and printing.

    • 5. Photographic works and products or those expressed in photographic style.

    • 6. News reports which shall not include daily news events.

Article 3: Folklore:

  • 1. Folklore (Saudi folklore) is considered to be a public property of the State and no one shall be entitled to any development or modification thereof except with the prior approval of the Authority.

  • 2. Every expression reflecting the traditional folklore that originated or continued in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, shall be considered as a folklore, in particular:

    • A. Folk expressions such stories, puzzles, poetry and similar traditions.

    • B. Musical expressions such as songs, anthems and popular songs, whether they are delivered to the public in words or accompanied by music.

    • C. Kinetic expression such folk dances, art forms and what was performed at ceremonial events.

    • D. Tangible expressions such as calligraphy, color painting, engraving, ceramics, wood and iron made products, etc., or any other fine-graffiti, inscription, drawing, hand woven bags, needlework, carpets, clothing, etc.

Article 4: Rules for publication and circulation of documents:

  • Authors must observe the provisions pertaining to the publishing and circulation of official documents issued in the Kingdom and obtain official approvals and consents to be published, circulated or translated, including the texts of Laws, regulations, judicial rulings and decisions of administrative bodies.

Article 5: Rights of public representation and performance:

  • The authors of theatrical works, musical plays, musical works or their representatives shall have the right to get an approval or a consent for the following:

    • 1. Representing or performing their products publicly, including by publicly representing and performing in all ways or means.

    • 2. Establishing the performance of their works or transmitting the same to the public by all means, manners and ways.

    • 3. Translating their works and products.

Article 6: Right to trace:

  • The authors of the original fine art works and products and those of the original musical manuscripts - even if they have given up ownership of the original version of their products – shall have the right to participate in a percentage of the proceeds of each sale of these works and products, and this shall not apply to the works and products of architecture and the works and products of applied art.

Article 7: Protection of performers, producers of audio recordings and organizations of broadcasting.

  • First: Producers of audio recordings and performers: Performers and producers of audio recordings shall have an exclusive right to get an approval or a consent to do the following:

    • 1. Public performance of their products, including public recitation by all means or methods.

    • 2. Transfer and performance of their works and products to the public by all means.

    • 3. Fix their performance on a physical pillar.

    • 4. Authorize the transfer all or some of their own works and products through information networks.

    • 5. To issue a license for recording audios and circulating the same in specified States. Any copy imported from exclusively licensed States made without the authorization of the author and subject to confiscation shall be deemed to be incompatible with rights.

    • 6. Authorize the distribution and leasing of their original works and products.

    • 7. Producers of sound recordings shall have the right to authorize or prevent direct or indirect copying of their audio recordings.

  • Second: Broadcasting corporations: Broadcasting corporations may prohibit any of the following acts whenever they are performed without a license:

    • 1. Recording radio programs and copying any thereof.

    • 2. Retransmission via radio means, and public transmission of such materials.

    • 3. Determination of the methods of direct broadcast or reception, by the means of capture devices or by cable.

    • 4. Transmission of radio broadcasting to the public in public places or via indoor radio stations for closed societies

Article 8: Claiming Rights:

  • 1. Any author who is a partner in any work shall be entitled to apply individually for provisional action in the event of an infringement or violation on the copyright, and shall have the sole right to claim his own share of compensation for the damage he suffered

  • 2. The co-author shall not be entitled to object to any development or modification that the majority of the partners in the work wish to make

Article 9: Rights to lease:

  • The owners of the rights of the works and products shall have the right to rent them in the Kingdom, taking into account the adoption of the necessary precautions .

    • 1. To ensure the absence that may hinder the rental or leasing of them.

    • 2. To identify and determine potential problems and infringements of leasing to check the ability to avoid the same.

    • 3. That the beneficiary provides awareness-raising to the target audience on the leasing mechanism .

    • 4. To publicize the necessary guidance to the target audience.

    • 5. To set a time date for the leasing exercise to take effect .

    • 6. To regulate the contractual relationship of leasing in accordance with the provisions of the Law and the Regulation

Next section title

Next section content