Article 1 of the Saudi Patents Law
المادة 1 من نظام براءات الاختراع · الفصل الأول: أحكام عامة
The article states that the aim of the law is to provide full protection within the Kingdom for inventions, layout designs of integrated circuits, plant varieties and industrial models.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يهدف هذا النظام إلى توفير الحماية الكاملة – داخل المملكة – للاختراعات، والتصميمات التخطيطية للدارات المتكاملة، والأصناف النباتية، والنماذج الصناعية.
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 1 explained in plain English
This article is the entry point to the law, setting out its purpose: to provide full protection within the Kingdom for four kinds of technical and industrial creation.
- Inventions: which Article 2 defines as an idea the inventor arrives at that results in solving a particular problem in the field of technology.
- Layout designs of integrated circuits: that is, the three-dimensional arrangement of the elements of an electronic circuit and its connections, as Article 2 defines it.
- Plant varieties: groups of plants that can be distinguished by characteristics resulting from a particular genetic makeup and that reproduce without change.
- Industrial models: the special appearance that lines, colors or shape give to an industrial or handicraft product, provided it is not merely for a functional or technical purpose.
Article 2 calls these four kinds "subjects of protection", and calls what is issued for each of them a "protection document": a patent, a design certificate, a plant patent, or an industrial model certificate.
It is important to note the phrase "within the Kingdom": the protection this law provides is limited to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The details of the conditions for each kind and the procedures for obtaining its document come in the other articles of the law and its Implementing Regulations.
If you have an innovation and want to know which kind of protection suits it, it is worth consulting a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents.
Practical example
An engineer in Jeddah developed a new device for purifying water, and a company in Riyadh designed a distinctive shape for a perfume bottle. The first falls within the scope of inventions, and the second may fall within the scope of industrial models; both are subjects the law aims to protect within the Kingdom.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 1 of the Saudi Patents Law
What does the Saudi Patents Law protect?
It protects four subjects: inventions, layout designs of integrated circuits, plant varieties, and industrial models.
Does the protection the law provides extend outside Saudi Arabia?
The article provides that the protection intended is full protection within the Kingdom.
What is the difference between an invention and an industrial model?
An invention is an idea that solves a problem in the field of technology, while an industrial model is the special appearance of a product through lines, colors or shape, provided it is not merely for a functional or technical purpose.
More articles on Subjects and Documents of Protection
- Article 3
The article makes King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology the body competent to apply the provisions of the Patents Law and its Implementing Regulations.
تختص المدينة بتطبيق الأحكام المقررة في هذا النظام ولائحته.
- Article 4
The article bars granting a protection document where its commercial exploitation would be contrary to Islamic Sharia, harmful to life or to human, animal or plant health, or seriously harmful to the environment.
أ - لا تمنح وثيقة الحماية إذا كان استغلالها تجاريًّا مخالفًا للشريعة الإسلامية. ب - لا تمنح وثيقة الحماية إذا كان استغلالها تجاريًّا مضرًّا بالحياة، أو بالصحة ا
- Article 32
The article allows any interested party to challenge before the Committee the decision granting a protection document and ask for its invalidation in whole or in part for breach of the grant conditions.
يجوز لكل ذي مصلحة أن يطعن أمام اللجنة في قرار منح وثيقة الحماية، طالبًا الحكم بإبطاله كليا أو جزئيا، تأسيسًا على مخالفة الشروط المقررة لمنح وثيقة الحماية. وعلى
- Article 40
The article permits free inspection of protection documents registered in the Administration and their data, and lets any person obtain copies after paying the fee.
يجوز الاطلاع دون مقابل على وثائق الحماية المسجلة في الإدارة، وأي بيان متعلق بها، ويحق لأي شخص أن يحصل على صور منها، بعد دفع المقابل المالي المقرر.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.