Article 1 of the Saudi Trade Names Law
المادة 1 من نظام الأسماء التجارية · الفصل الأول: أحكام عامة
The article sets out the meanings of the key terms in the Trade Names Law, such as trade name, merchant, Commercial Register, Registrar, Ministry and Implementing Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يقصد بالكلمات والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني المبينة أمام كل منها:
النظام: نظام الأسماء التجارية.
اللائحة: اللائحة التنفيذية للنظام.
الوزارة: وزارة التجارة.
الوزير: وزير التجارة.
الاسم التجاري: الاسم الذي يستعمله التاجر في مزاولة أعماله التجارية لتمييزه عن غيره من التجار.
التاجر: شخص ذو صفة طبيعية أو اعتبارية ينطبق عليه وصف التاجر وفقًا للنظام التجاري.
السجل التجاري: سجل يحتوي على بيانات التجار من خلال قاعدة بيانات إلكترونية مركزية.
المسجل: الجهة الحكومية المحددة من الوزير لإدارة السجل التجاري.
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 dictionary of the Law; whenever one of these terms appears in the articles of the Trade Names Law, it is understood in the meaning set out here, which prevents differences in interpreting it.
The main definitions and what they mean in practice:
- Trade name: the name a merchant uses in carrying on his commercial business to distinguish him from other merchants; its basic function is to distinguish between merchants in the eyes of the public.
- Merchant: may be a natural person (an individual) or a legal person (such as a company), provided the description of a merchant applies to him under the commercial law; that is, the Law refers to the commercial law in determining who is a merchant.
- Commercial Register: a register that holds the data of merchants in a central electronic database.
- Registrar: the government body designated by the Minister of Commerce to administer the Commercial Register, and it is the body you deal with on trade name applications.
- The Ministry and the Minister: the Ministry of Commerce and the Minister of Commerce.
- The Law and the Implementing Regulations: the Trade Names Law, and its Implementing Regulations, which detail many of its provisions.
Article 2 then explains that the aim of the Law is to regulate the procedures for reserving trade names, entering them in the Commercial Register and protecting them, which are procedures that rely on these definitions.
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 Trade Names Law
What is meant by a trade name?
It is the name a merchant uses in carrying on his commercial business to distinguish him from other merchants.
Is a company a merchant under the Trade Names Law?
A merchant under the Law is a natural or legal person to whom the description of a merchant applies under the commercial law, so a legal person falls within the definition when that description applies to it.
Who is the Registrar in the Trade Names Law?
It is the government body designated by the Minister of Commerce to administer the Commercial Register.
More articles on General Provisions on Trade Names
- Article 2
The article states that the Law aims to enhance confidence in the business environment by regulating the reservation of trade names, their entry, enhancing their value and protecting them.
يهدف النظام إلى تعزيز الثقة في البيئة التجارية من خلال تنظيم إجراءات حجز الأسماء التجارية وقيدها في السجل التجاري، وتعزيز قيمتها، وضمان حمايتها والحقوق المتصلة
- Article 19
The article lets the Minister of Commerce use public or private entities to perform the Registrar's duties and assign some of those duties to them.
للوزير الاستعانة بالجهات العامة أو الخاصة للقيام بالمهمات المقررة للمسجل، وله إسناد بعضها إلى تلك الجهات.
- Article 20
The article provides that the Ministry of Commerce encourages the use of Arabic in trade names through a platform for Arabic language experts, where their details are registered and their work is shown to the public.
تشجع الوزارة استعمال اللغة العربية، لتعزيز قاعدة الأسماء التجارية العربية، عبر منصة لخبراء اللغة العربية تقيد فيها بيانات الخبراء، وتعرض أعمالهم للعموم، وفق الض
- Article 21
The article refers to the Implementing Regulations the setting of the financial consideration for the services provided by the Registrar in implementing the Trade Names Law.
تحدد اللائحة المقابل المالي للخدمات المقدمة من المسجل تنفيذًا لأحكام النظام.
- Article 22
The article requires the Minister of Commerce to issue the Implementing Regulations within 180 days of the law's publication in the Official Gazette, to take effect from the date the law takes effect.
يصدر الوزير اللائحة خلال (مائة وثمانين) يومًا من تاريخ نشر النظام في الجريدة الرسمية، ويعمل بها من تاريخ نفاذه.
- Article 23
The article provides that this law replaces the Trade Names Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/15 of 1420 AH, and takes effect 180 days after its publication.
يحل النظام محل نظام الأسماء التجارية، الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم (م / 15) وتاريخ 12 / 8 / 1420هـ، ويعمل به بعد (مائة وثمانين) يومًا من تاريخ نشره في الجريدة الر
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.