Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Initially and to make it easier for the esteemed readers, I defined the concept of the Intellectual Property in general; which was defined by Legal Scholars as “A set of rights that protect the human thought and creativity, including copyright and relevant rights, patents, trademarks, industrial models and plant varieties”.
As for the competent authorities assigned for protecting the intellectual property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the present time, they are as follows: Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Information, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; whereas the Intellectual Property systems are as follows: the Trademark System; the Patents and Layout Design of Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties, and Industrial Models; the Copyright Protection System; and the Brand Names System.
In order to complete the achievement of the Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, along with raising the level of awareness and knowledge of the importance of the Intellectual Property with the Kingdom and abroad, and the continuous quest for developing the performance according to the recent technical developments, a decision was issued on 14/09/1439 AH, corresponding to 28/04/2018 AD, stating the approval to regulate the “Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property “.
The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property is considered within the Ministry of Trade and Investment system; as the Authority aims to regulate the intellectual property fields in the Kingdom; along with supporting, developing, sponsoring, protecting, enforcing and promoting them, according to the best international practices through registering the intellectual property rights, providing all the relevant information, making it available to the public and raising awareness about it; in addition to building an advanced economy based on taking an advantage of the intellectual property rights.
Furthermore, the Authority represents the Kingdom in the international and regional organizations related to the intellectual property rights; along with defending its interest and expressing its opinion on the international conventions related to the intellectual property rights. The Authority also follows up with the implementation of the obligations resulting from the Kingdom’s accession to the international conventions related to the intellectual property rights.
The most important move taken by the Kingdom in this regard was its accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization “WIPO” on the 22nd of May 1982; followed by its accession to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works on the 11th of March 2004, and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement “TRIPS Agreement”.
The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property promised the Kingdom’s accession to several conventions, such as the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled; the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs; Vienna Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks; Nice Classification of Goods and Services; and Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks. Furthermore, there are many conventions that will be accepted, thus making the Kingdom a high-status partner.
The Authority’s strategy in its current form is consistent and harmonious with Saudi Vision 2030. There are many strategic objectives for the Authority distributed among seven of the Vision Realization Programs, namely: the National Transformation Program, the National Identity Enhancement Program, the Strategic Partnerships Program, the National Industry Development and Logistics Program, the Learning Programs, the National Entrepreneurship Program, and the Quality of Life Program.
Moreover, the Authority followed a multi-dimensional approach in order to enhance awareness and educate individuals who work in the Intellectual Property field through intensifying efforts to prepare a Master’s Degree program specialized in the intellectual property field; along with developing the Intellectual Property Academy to expand the extent of the specialists’ capabilities in the intellectual property field outside the Authority. The approach for expanding the system’s clarity comes from increasing public relations by taking advantage of the World Intellectual Property Day in an effective manner and awarding prizes.
The Authority organized many workshops that provide a definition for the nature of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, its works, and its future prospects; along with discussing the practical applications within the Kingdom and abroad. Furthermore, these workshops designs and launches programs in order to enhance the public’s respect for intellectual property rights.
Finally, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property represents an integrated authority for intellectual property with global consideration and a major hub for the intellectual property in the Middle East and North Africa Region.
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