Cairo: Saudi Arabia blocked 3,317 websites last year for violating intellectual property rights rules in the kingdom, according to an official report.
The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, a government agency, added that it seized more than 41 million items that had infringed intellectual property rights last year.
The Riyadh-based agency said it received 7,048 applications for patents last year, an increase of 21 per cent against 2022; 45,325 others for trade mark registration, up 13 per cent compared to the previous year; and 1,942 industrial design applications marking a 29% rise.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of a prosecution unit tasked with protecting intellectual property.
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The step was approved by the kingdom’s public prosecution board headed by Attorney General Saud bin Abdullah Al Mojeb.
The decision came to build on a national strategy for intellectual property launched in late 2022 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman with the aim of evolving an intellectual property system supporting creativity-based economy in the kingdom.
The prosecution branch is responsible for investigating cases associated with violating intellectual property rights enshrined in the trade mark and the author’s copyrights systems, and filing related lawsuits.
The ad-hoc prosecution is set to enhance work for providing all-out justice protection for intellectual property, authorities said. The unit is staffed with well-trained prosecutors, who have gained the necessary skills in line with legal competency criteria with the ultimate aim of nurturing creativity and innovation.
