Article 4 of the Saudi Copyright Law

المادة 4 من نظام حماية حقوق المؤلف

The article excludes from the law's protection laws, judgments and official documents and their official translations, daily news, and mere ideas, procedures, principles and facts.

Official text (Arabic)

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

لا تشمل الحماية المقررة بمقتضى هذا النظام:

1 - الأنظمة والأحكام القضائية ، وقرارات الهيئات الإدارية ، والاتفاقيات الدولية، وسائر الوثائق الرسمية، وكذلك الترجمات الرسمية لهذه النصوص، مع مراعاة الأحكام الخاصة بتداول هذه الوثائق.

2 - ما تنشره الصحف، والمجلات، والنشرات الدورية، والإذاعة من الأخبار اليومية، أو الحوادث ذات الصبغة الإخبارية.

3 - الأفكار، والإجراءات، وأساليب العمل، ومفاهيم العلوم الرياضية، والمبادئ، والحقائق المجردة.

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 4 explained in plain English

This article sets out what is not covered by the law's protection even though it may look like written or intellectual work. There are three categories:

Official texts: laws, court judgments, decisions of administrative bodies, international agreements and other official documents, as well as their official translations. But the article adds a qualification: "subject to the provisions on the circulation of these documents". That is, their exclusion from copyright protection does not mean ignoring any other provisions that regulate their circulation.
Daily news and news-type events published by newspapers, magazines, periodicals and broadcasting. A news item in itself is a fact that cannot be owned.
Ideas, procedures, work methods, mathematical concepts, principles and mere facts. The law protects the original expression of an idea, not the idea itself.

This article complements Article 3, which lists the protected derivative works. It draws the dividing line between what the author owns and what remains available to everyone.

In practice, anyone may make use of a project idea, a work method or a mathematical equation without that being an infringement of copyright under this law, but copying the original wording or presentation of that idea in a book or article is a different matter. If the position is unclear in a particular case, it is best to consult a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property and copyright.

Practical example

A lawyer in Dammam publishes a book containing the texts of published court judgments. The texts of the judgments themselves are excluded from protection under this article, subject to the provisions on their circulation, but the comments and commentary he wrote on those judgments himself are his original work.

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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