Article 14 of the Saudi Copyright Law

المادة 14 من نظام حماية حقوق المؤلف

The article binds an author's heirs to the contracts their predecessor concluded in his lifetime, with the rights and obligations they contain toward others.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يلتزم ورثة المؤلف بالعقود التي أبرمها مورثهم في حياته، بما فيها من حقوق والتزامات للغير.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 14 explained in plain English

This article sets the rule of continuity: an author's contracts do not end with his death; his heirs are bound by them, with the rights and obligations they contain toward others.

What does this mean in practice?

If the author contracted with a publishing house or production company, the contract continues after his death on its terms, and the heirs may not cancel it on the ground of death.
The heirs benefit from the rights under the contract (such as the agreed share of profits), and bear its obligations toward the other party.
The party contracting with the author can be assured that its investment in the work will not collapse on the author's death.

Its relationship to other articles:

Article 13 requires relations with production and publishing institutions to be organized by documented contracts that specify rights and obligations, and these documented contracts are the ones by which the heirs are later bound.

The article does not address how the contract's rights or obligations are divided among the heirs. For questions of dividing the work's revenues among the heirs or a dispute with the contracting party, you may consult a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property and copyright.

Practical example

The writer Saad contracted with a publishing house in Riyadh to print his book for three years, and died a year later. His heirs are bound by the contract until the end of its term, and they are entitled to what their predecessor had in it of the share of profits.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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