Saudi Gazette report

INTENSIFIED efforts for the creation of enforceable regulations to protect intellectual property (IP) rights is important to fast track the establishment of a knowledge-based economy.

With this sublime objective in mind, Saudi authorities have adopted serious measures to create the necessary mechanisms to protect intellectual property rights in the country. As a first step, the Ministry of Commerce and Investment recently constituted the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Rights (SAIPR) as an initiative within the government's National Transformation Program 2020. The aim was to unify the jurisdiction of intellectual property rights under a single body.

The board of directors of SAIPR held its first meeting on Thursday under Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, who is the authority's ex officio chairman.

At the outset of the meeting, Al-Qasabi welcomed the board members underlining the importance of organizing intellectual property rights under a single reference body.

He said SAIPR would make efforts to improve the work environment, enhance the knowledge-based economy, boost foreign investments and open the door for the innovations of the Saudi youth.

"SAIPR will endeavor to uplift the Kingdom's standard in the international indicator of innovations, promote the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and use the financial returns to boost the services in the field of intellectual property rights," he added.

Intellectual property (IP) is abstract work and creations of the human intellect. It primarily encompasses copyrights, patents, and trademarks. It also includes other types of rights, such as trade secrets, publicity rights, moral rights and rights against unfair competition.

The main purpose of intellectual property law is to encourage the creation of a wide variety of intellectual goods. To achieve this, the law gives people and businesses property rights to the information and intellectual goods they create, usually for a limited period of time. Because they can earn profit from them, this gives economic incentive for their creation.

Artistic works like music and literature, as well as some discoveries, inventions, words, phrases, symbols, and designs can all be protected as intellectual property.

Intellectual property law has evolved over centuries. It was not until the 19th century that the term "intellectual property" began to be used and not until the late 20th century that it became commonplace in most parts of the world.

The intangible nature of intellectual property presents difficulties when compared with traditional property like land or goods. Unlike traditional property, intellectual property is indivisible. Unlimited numbers of people can use or consume an intellectual good without it being depleted.

In addition, investments in intellectual goods suffer from problems of appropriation as a producer of information or an intellectual good can usually do very little to stop their first buyer from replicating it and selling it at a lower price.

SAPIR will formulate a national strategy for intellectual property rights, follow up its implementation after it was approved, make operational plans and schedules for its work in collaboration with the concerned departments and propose laws and regulations related to the intellectual property rights.

The authority will also register the intellectual property rights, ensure them with necessary protection, provide data concerning intellectual rights and spread awareness about the matter in society.

The authority will represent the Kingdom in the concerned regional and international property rights organizations and follow up the commitments of the Kingdom resulting from its membership in the international property rights agreements.

SAIPR will use the intellectual property rights to build a strong knowledge-based economy in the Kingdom, establishes databases and exchange data with the other similar regional and international organizations.

The board of directors of SAIPR is composed of representatives from the ministries of education, finance, national economy and planning, foreign affairs, communications and IT, the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA), King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, the Directorate of Customs and two members representing the private sector.