Article 47 of the Saudi Patents Law
المادة 47 من نظام براءات الاختراع · الفصل الثاني: أحكام خاصة ببراءات الاختراع
The article gives the patent owner the right to sue before the Committee anyone who exploits the invention in the Kingdom without consent, and defines the forms of exploitation and the non-commercial scientific research exception.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لمالك البراءة الحق في رفع دعوى أمام اللجنة ضد أي شخص يتعدى على اختراعه، باستغلاله دون موافقته داخل المملكة، ويعد استغلالا للاختراع:
أ - إذا كان منتجًا: صناعته، أو بيعه، أو عرضه للبيع، أو استخدامه، أو تخزينه، أو استيراده لأي من تلك الأغراض.
ب - إذا كان عملية صناعية: استخدام العملية، أو القيام بأي من الأعمال المشار إليها في الفقرة السابقة، بالنسبة للمنتج الذي يتم الحصول عليه مباشرة باستخدام هذه العملية.
ولا يشمل حق مالك البراءة منع غيره من استغلال اختراعه في الأعمال الخاصة بأغراض البحث العلمي غير التجارية.
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 47 explained in plain English
This article shows the scope of the right a patent grants, and how it is protected.
The right to sue: the patent owner may bring a case before the Committee against any person who infringes the invention by exploiting it without the owner's consent inside the Kingdom.
What counts as exploiting the invention:
- If the invention is a product: making, selling, offering for sale, using, storing or importing it for any of these purposes.
- If it is an industrial process: using the process itself, or doing any of the above acts in respect of the product obtained directly by using that process.
The exception: the owner's right does not include preventing others from exploiting the invention in acts for non-commercial scientific research purposes. If the research has a commercial aim, this exception does not apply under the text.
Article 48 makes proof easier for the owner of a patent on an industrial process, since in certain cases it shifts to the defendant the burden of proving that its product was not made by the protected process.
Anyone who believes their invention is being exploited without permission, or who fears their activity may be an infringement, would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh owns a patent for a heat-retaining container, and then discovered that a merchant was importing identical containers from abroad and storing them to sell in the Kingdom. Importing and storing for sale are forms of exploitation, so the company may bring a case before the Committee. A university testing the container in non-commercial research, however, is not covered by the right to prevent.
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 47 of the Saudi Patents Law
What counts as infringing a patent?
Exploiting the invention inside the Kingdom without its owner's consent, such as making, selling, offering for sale, using, storing or importing the product, or using the protected industrial process.
Is importing a patent-protected product an infringement?
Yes. Importing the product for any of the purposes of making, selling, offering for sale, using or storing it is a form of exploiting it.
May a protected invention be used in scientific research?
The patent owner's right does not include preventing others from exploiting the invention in acts for non-commercial scientific research purposes.
More articles on Patent Infringement
- Article 20
The article protects a person who in good faith made a product, used a process or exploited a plant variety before the filing date, by allowing that person to continue the same activities without expanding them.
إذا قام شخص – بحسن نية – بتصنيع منتج، أو باستعمال عملية صناعية، أو بتصنيع دارة متكاملة مدمج فيها التصميم، أو سلعة تتضمن هذه الدارة، أو باستغلال صنف نباتي، أو با
- Article 34
The article defines infringement of protected subject matter and empowers the Committee to stop infringement and award compensation and a fine of up to SAR 100,000, doubled for repeat offenses.
يعد تعديا على موضوع الحماية القيام بأي عمل من أعمال الاستغلال المنصوص عليها في الأحكام الخاصة لكل موضوع من موضوعات الحماية، يقوم به أي شخص في المملكة دون موافقة
- Article 48
The article shifts to the defendant the burden of proving that its product was not made by the patented process, when one of two conditions is met, while taking account of its industrial and commercial secrets.
مع مراعاة المصالح المشروعة للمدعى عليه من حيث حماية أسراره الصناعية والتجارية، إذا كان موضوع براءة الاختراع المدعى بالتعدي عليها عملية صناعية لصنع منتج ما؛ فعلى
- Article 51
The article gives the owner of a design certificate the right to sue anyone who copies, imports, sells or distributes its design in the Kingdom without consent, with an exception for personal and scientific copying.
لمالك شهادة التصميم الحق في رفع دعوى أمام اللجنة ضد أي شخص يتعدى على تصميمه باستغلاله دون موافقته داخل المملكة، ويعد استغلالًا للتصميم القيام بأي عمل من الأعمال
- Article 53
The article excepts from infringement the acts in paragraph (B) of Article 51 when done by someone who did not know the circuit contains a copied design, and requires him to pay fair compensation.
لا تعد الأعمال المذكورة في الفقرة (ب) من المادة الحادية والخمسين من هذا النظام تعديًا، إذا باشرها، أو أمر بالقيام بها من لم يكن يعلم أو ليس لديه أسباب معقولة لل
- Article 56
The article gives the plant patent owner the right to sue anyone who exploits the protected variety's propagating material in the Kingdom without consent, and extends the rights to harvested material and derived varieties, with exceptions.
أ - لمالك البراءة النباتية الحق في رفع دعوى أمام اللجنة ضد أي شخص يتعدى على الصنف المحمي باستغلال مادة تكاثر الصنف المحمي دون موافقته داخل المملكة، ويعد استغلال
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.