Article 51 of the Saudi Patents Law
المادة 51 من نظام براءات الاختراع · الفصل الثالث: أحكام خاصة بالتصميمات التخطيطية للدارات المتكاملة
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 الآتية:
أ - استنساخ التصميم بكامله، أو أي جزء أصيل منه، سواء بإدماجه في دارة متكاملة، أو بأي طريقة أخرى، ولا يعد تعديًا أعمال الاستنساخ للأغراض الشخصية، أو الأغراض العلمية كالبحث، أو التحليل، أو التعليم، أو التقويم.
ب - استيراد التصميم، أو بيعه، أو توزيعه، أو أي دارة متكاملة مدمج فيها ذلك التصميم، ويعد تعديا أيضًا القيام بأي عمل من الأعمال المشار إليها في هذه الفقرة بالنسبة لأي سلعة تتضمن دارة متكاملة، طالما تضمنت هذه الدارة تصميمًا منسوخًا بطريقة غير مشروعة.
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 51 explained in plain English
This article shows the scope of protection for an integrated circuit design after a design certificate is granted for an original design under Article 50.
The right to sue: the certificate owner may bring a case before the Committee against any person who infringes its design by exploiting it without its consent inside the Kingdom.
What counts as exploitation:
- Copying (paragraph A): copying the whole design or any original part of it, by incorporating it in an integrated circuit or in any other way.
- Dealing (paragraph B): importing, selling or distributing the design, or importing, selling or distributing an integrated circuit in which the design is incorporated. This extends to any goods containing an integrated circuit, as long as the circuit contains a design that was copied unlawfully.
The exception: copying for personal purposes, or for scientific purposes such as research, analysis, teaching or evaluation, is not an infringement.
Article 52 sets other limits on these rights: they are limited to acts done for commercial purposes, and do not cover a similar original design created independently by another person.
Anyone who deals in electronic goods and fears they may contain a copied design would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents.
Practical example
A Saudi company owns a design certificate for an integrated circuit used in tracking devices. It discovered that a merchant in Riyadh was importing tracking devices containing circuits whose design was unlawfully copied. Importing and selling these goods is an infringement, so the company may bring a case before the Committee. A university student copying the design to analyze it in research, however, is not an infringer.
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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 51 of the Saudi Patents Law
What are the rights of an integrated circuit design certificate owner?
It may bring a case before the Committee against anyone who, inside the Kingdom without its consent, copies its design or an original part of it, or imports, sells or distributes it, or deals in a circuit or goods in which a copied design is incorporated.
Is copying a design for teaching purposes an infringement?
No. Copying for personal or scientific purposes such as research, analysis, teaching or evaluation is not an infringement.
Does infringement include selling a device containing a copied chip?
Yes. Selling, importing or distributing any goods containing an integrated circuit with a design that was copied unlawfully is an infringement.
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 49
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.
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.
- Article 50
The article requires, for a design certificate to be granted, that the layout design be original, meaning the result of the designer's own intellectual effort and not common when created, and states the rule for a design made of common 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 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.