Article 15 of the Saudi Audiovisual Media Law

This article deals with a practical issue: violating content that comes from abroad.

The conditions for the article to apply:

• The media content is violating.
• It is broadcast through foreign channels.
• These channels are not licensed by the Authority.
• It is received inside the Kingdom.

The rule: the Authority must take the necessary legal action regarding this content, as the regulations set.

Note that the wording "the Authority must" makes acting a duty on it, not merely a power. But the article does not specify the type of legal action; it refers the details to the regulations. So specific actions, such as blocking or otherwise, should not be assumed without referring to the regulations.

The idea of the article is that a channel's not being licensed by the Authority does not take its violating content outside the Law's concern once it is received inside the Kingdom. The standard of violation is understood in light of the media content controls in Article 5.

This article differs from paragraph 2/a of Article 19, under which the primary committee hears the violation by a Saudi who commits any of the Law's violations outside the Kingdom; Article 15 concerns content broadcast through unlicensed foreign channels. Anyone with a question about a specific case can consult a lawyer who specializes in media regulation and administrative matters.