Article 20 of the Saudi Copyright Law

When a new law is issued the question arises: what about works published before it? This article answers that protection covers:

• literary, artistic and scientific works,
• audio recordings,
• and broadcast programs,

whose date of publication goes back to before this law took effect, and that for the terms set in Article 19. Those terms, in brief: the author's life and 50 years after his death as the rule; 50 years from first showing or publication for audio and audiovisual works, films, collective works and software; 25 years from first publication for applied arts and photographs; 20 years from first broadcast for broadcasting organizations; and 50 years from the performance or first recording for producers of recordings and performers.

But on two conditions:

1. The term of protection must not have expired under the previous law. A work whose protection ended under the old law does not regain protection.
2. Protection must not have lapsed in the country of origin that is linked with the Kingdom by international agreements or treaties for the protection of authors' rights.

The article does not state the protection terms that the previous law provided, so finding out whether the protection of an old work had expired under it requires referring to that law. For these questions you may consult a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property and copyright.