Article 52 of the Saudi Patents Law
المادة 52 من نظام براءات الاختراع · الفصل الثالث: أحكام خاصة بالتصميمات التخطيطية للدارات المتكاملة
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 بشكل مستقل، ولا تمتد تلك الحقوق لأي تصميم آخر أصيل تم ابتكاره بالاعتماد على تحليل أو تقويم ذلك التصميم، وكذلك لأي دارة متكاملة مدمج فيها التصميم الآخر.
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 52 explained in plain English
After Article 51 listed the acts that count as exploiting an integrated circuit design, this article sets limits on the rights of the design certificate owner:
- Commercial purpose: the rights are limited to acts done for commercial purposes, and do not extend to anything else.
- Independent creation: the owner may not exercise its rights over an original design similar to its own if another person created it independently, without copying from it.
- A design resulting from analysis: the rights do not extend to any other original design created in reliance on analyzing or evaluating the protected design.
- A circuit incorporating the other design: nor do the rights extend to any integrated circuit in which that other design is incorporated.
The limit in the third item is important: a design resulting from analysis falls outside protection only if it is itself original, whereas merely copying the design after analyzing it remains copying under Article 51.
This is consistent with Article 51, which does not treat copying for purposes of research, analysis, teaching or evaluation as an infringement.
Because distinguishing independent creation from copying is a fine technical question, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and patents.
Practical example
A startup in Riyadh analyzed another company's protected integrated circuit design, and then, relying on that analysis, created a new original design performing a similar function. The certificate owner's rights do not extend to this original design or to the circuits in which it is incorporated. If the startup had copied the protected design as it is in order to sell it, that would be a commercial act covered by the owner's right.
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 52 of the Saudi Patents Law
Does a design certificate protect against non-commercial use?
The rights a design certificate grants are limited to acts done for commercial purposes.
What if another person independently creates a similar design?
The certificate owner may not exercise its rights over an original design similar to its own that another person created independently.
Is analyzing the protected design and developing a new design permitted?
The rights do not extend to another original design created in reliance on analyzing or evaluating the protected design, nor to the circuit in which it is incorporated.
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 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 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.