Article 49 of the Saudi Patents Law
المادة 49 من نظام براءات الاختراع · الفصل الثالث: أحكام خاصة بالتصميمات التخطيطية للدارات المتكاملة
The article allows an application to register an integrated circuit layout design if it has not yet been commercially exploited, or has been commercially exploited for no more than two years anywhere in the world.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز طلب تسجيل التصميم لدارة متكاملة إذا لم يكن التصميم قد استغل استغلالًا تجاريا بعد، أو كان موضع استغلال تجاري فترة لا تتجاوز السنتين في أي مكان في العالم.
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 49 explained in plain English
This article opens the provisions on the layout designs of integrated circuits. Under the definitions in Article 2, an integrated circuit is a product that performs an electronic function in which the elements and interconnections are formed in an integrated manner, and the design is the three-dimensional arrangement of its elements and interconnections.
When may registration be applied for? In one of two cases:
- the design has not yet been commercially exploited; or
- it has been commercially exploited for a period of no more than two years, anywhere in the world.
Commercial exploitation outside the Kingdom therefore also counts, and what matters is the total period anywhere. If commercial exploitation exceeds two years, an application for registration is no longer permitted under this text.
This condition concerns whether the application may be filed. Granting a design certificate also requires the design to be original under Article 50, that is, the result of the designer's own intellectual effort and not familiar to design creators and circuit makers at the time of its creation.
It is wise to register promptly and to calculate the period of exploitation accurately, with the help of a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents where needed.
Practical example
A technology company in Dhahran designed an integrated circuit for sensor devices, and began selling the chips abroad a year and a half ago. It can still apply to register the design because the period of commercial exploitation has not exceeded two years. If it waits until the two years are exceeded, it will not be able to apply for registration under this article.
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 49 of the Saudi Patents Law
When may an integrated circuit design be registered?
If the design has not yet been commercially exploited, or has been commercially exploited for no more than two years anywhere in the world.
Is commercial exploitation outside Saudi Arabia counted?
Yes. The text counts commercial exploitation anywhere in the world.
Is this condition enough to grant a design certificate?
No. Article 50 also requires the design to be original.
More articles on Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits
- Article 24
The article allows the City to grant a third party a compulsory license to exploit a patented invention or an integrated circuit layout design, on set conditions and with fair compensation to the owner.
أ - يجوز للمدينة أن تمنح ترخيصًا إجباريًّا للغير باستغلال الاختراع المشمول بالبراءة، أو التصميم التخطيطي للدارة المتكاملة المشمول بشهادة التصميم بناء على طلب يق
- Article 50
The article requires that a design be original for a design certificate to be granted, meaning the result of the designer's intellectual effort and not familiar when created, and addresses a design made of familiar elements.
تمنح شهادة التصميم إذا كان التصميم أصيلًا، أي كان نتيجة جهد فكري بذله المصمم بنفسه، وكان غير مألوف لمبتكري التصميمات، وصانعي الدارات المتكاملة عند ابتكاره. وأما
- 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 52
The article limits the rights of a design certificate to commercial acts, and excepts a similar design created independently and an original design resulting from analysis of the protected design.
تقتصر الحقوق التي تمنحها شهادة التصميم على الأعمال التي تتم لأغراض تجارية، ولا يحق لمالك الشهادة ممارسة حقوقه بشأن تصميم أصيل مماثل لتصميمه إذا ابتكره شخص آخر ب
- 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
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.