JEDDAH: The Saudi Authority of Intellectual Property (SAIP) announced that it has confiscated and destroyed more than 5.5 million items in 2020 that were found to be violating the country’s intellectual property (IP) regulations.
“These items included pirated DVDs, CDs and books; and illegal desktops, laptops, hard disks, memory chips, TV satellite boxes and CD-copying devices. We also cooperated with Saudi Customs to seize and destroy more than 2 million counterfeited products. These included shoes, clothes, mobile accessories, sanitary ware and car filters, all bearing well-known trademarks from major international companies,” said Yasser Al-Debassi, executive director of IP Respect at SAIP.
SAIP seeks to improve the protection of IP by developing its enforcement system, ensuring the quality of its operations and increasing transparency between itself and the private sector.
In its recently released 2020 report, SAIP said that it had received 67 cases directly from plaintiffs, who reported their complaints to the authority.
It added that 115 cases were conducted through inspection visits to websites. Over 300 cases were conducted through other online inspections, while 42 cases were referred to SAIP by the Ministry of Media.
The report revealed that most of the IP infringements occurred in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a rate of 61 percent. Makkah ranked second with 24 percent, while the Eastern Province came third with 14 percent.
The remaining 9 percent of violations took place in other Saudi cities. However, the report said, some complaints were dismissed for “uncompleted requirements.”
The report added that most cases were art-related, involving the infringement of rights for photographs, audio, videos, and designs. Literary cases and research formed 25 percent of the total number of cases, while software infringement cases reached 12 percent.
a responded to more than 5,790 emails and phone calls, reporting violations through its different communication channels.
It confirmed in its report that 119 resolutions were issued by the copyright committee, assigned to review violations of the copyright law.
“The IP Respect surveillance team has visited and examined over 1,350 websites and detected 308 violated websites. It filed the cases to the Permanent Internet Committee, who ruled that these websites be blocked,” Al-Debassi told Arab News. “Fines of more than SR255,000 ($68,000) were imposed on the violators. The violations ranged from literary works to sports TV broadcasting.”
The authority launched online inspection campaigns to block the websites, which, without permission from right owners, either posted copyrighted photos and graphics on social media platforms; exhibited copies of copyrighted books and magazines; and allowed for the viewing and download of copyrighted series, movies or pirated software.
SAIP also launched copyright-enforcement campaigns in Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Dammam, Alkhobar, and Al-Ahsa, with the aim of stopping all infringement activities and copyright-related violations in computer software and programs, satellite broadcasting, and printed or audiovisual materials.
The sectors targeted by the campaigns included video, electronics, computer maintenance and students’ services stores, which provide document-copying services.
“SAIP is currently working on tracking new piracy trends and addressing the challenges facing industries. It is doing its best to ensure compliance with IP laws and regulations in the Kingdom in order to maintain an attractive business environment,” Al-Debassi said.
SAIP has launched a number of initiatives at the national level, including a national enforcement committee for IP.
It is also working closely with its partners in the private sector, global associations and IP protection offices to fight piracy.
“SAIP has partnered with right holders to combat counterfeiting. We have conducted meetings with our partners from tech companies, such as Microsoft, to discuss the latest methods of piracy for its software and operating systems. The authority has also met with media company OSN to discuss the challenge of illegal Internet Protocol television boxes and subscriptions,” Al-Debassi added.
Saudi intellectual property authority confiscates, destroys millions of products in violation of laws
https://arab.news/z8kbr
Saudi intellectual property authority confiscates, destroys millions of products in violation of laws
Saudi Arabia warns Israel against targeting Gaza’s Rafah
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia warned of the dangers of Israel targeting the city of Rafah as part of its “bloody” and “systematic campaign to storm all areas of the Gaza Strip and displace its residents” on Monday.
Developing
Education minister pushes for ‘practical partnerships’ at Saudi-Canadian forum
- Canada is ‘back and eager’ to work with Saudi Arabia, envoy says
- Jean-Philippe Linteau: ‘We have over 70 people that have traveled from Canada and we have over 70 Saudi institutions that are here to meet them’
RIYADH: During the KSA-Canada Education Partnership Forum in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan emphasized the need for “practical partnerships” between the two countries, stating that he is not interested in more agreements, but rather in meaningful collaborations.
“I want you to think beyond the traditional way of partnerships. We have had a lot of MoUs (memorandums of understanding) that have been signed previously and I want to tell you I am not interested in more MoUs. We want to make sure that these are carried into practical solutions,” Al-Benyan told the forum.
The Canadian Embassy, in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Education, hosted the forum, bringing together leading educational institutions from Canada and the Kingdom to explore areas of collaboration.
The forum will continue on Tuesday with discussions focused on joint study programs, collaborative research initiatives, curriculum development, student and faculty exchanges, and partnerships in technical and vocational training.
Jean-Philippe Linteau, the Canadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said: “Canada is back, and Canada is eager to work with Saudi Arabia.
“We have over 70 people that have traveled from Canada and we have over 70 Saudi institutions that are here to meet them, (this) shows (that) the desire, the appetite for that collaboration between our two countries in the education sector is very, very strong,” the envoy told Arab News.
“I am confident that out of today we will have many partnerships and successes that will develop over time for the benefit of Saudi students and Canadian education institutions as well,” he added.
Spearheaded by the Canadian Embassy’s trade division, the education forum brought together leaders from several universities, including the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Western University, Humber College, and dozens of others.
The forum will include a tour for the Canadian delegation to meet the senior leadership of King Saud University, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
On Tuesday, experts will discuss key areas of cooperation within the framework of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, including information technology, tourism and hospitality, healthcare, clean energy, mining, and agriculture.
The Saudi minister said that this forum marks “the start of a practical partnership” that “looks into the ways and means to make an impact.”
Al-Benyan added: “We would like to see more student exchange and faculty exchange.”
The Canadian envoy in turn emphasized the importance of people-to-people ties when growing partnerships.
He told Arab News: “The best thing that can happen is we brought all of these people from Canada here, they will see the new Saudi Arabia, they will go back and they will tell people what they saw and what they missed, for the ones that were not here, and I think we will get more and more collaboration coming up.”
KAUST program inspires young scientific talent
- Space 2102 program hosted 150 outstanding students, aged from 13 to 15, from various regions, in a five-day event
- Program included lectures, software training, and enrichment activities to guide and develop the students’ learning journey
RIYADH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is creating new opportunities for young people in Saudi Arabia by supporting research and innovation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and space.
These efforts are part of the Space 2102 program, organized in partnership with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission and the Saudi Space Agency.
The program hosted 150 outstanding students, aged from 13 to 15, from various regions, in a five-day event, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
A team of international experts and KAUST faculty provided the students with training and education.
The Space 2102 program included lectures, software training, and enrichment activities to guide and develop the students’ learning journey.
Dr. Najah Ashry, vice president of the strategic national advancement division at KUAST, highlighted the success of the Space 2102 program, which aims to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of talented young Saudis in fields such as science, technology, and space.
KAUST’s early-onset enrichment activities help to engage the best young minds in the program, which improves the likelihood of science-based future leaders and entrepreneurs emerging and of a new era of leadership, research, and exploration in the Kingdom, the SPA reported.
The Space 2102 program concluded with a CubeSat challenge, where teams used technology to design and test their own missions. The focus was on using science and technology to address the conservation and rehabilitation of coral reefs in the Red Sea.
King Salman academy to host Arabic education forum in Seoul
- Scholars, teachers, linguistic experts will attend May 9 and 10
- Discussions on curricula, teaching methods and Arab culture
RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language is partnering with the Korean Association of Arabic Language and Literature and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies to host an international conference in Seoul, South Korea.
The conference, titled “Challenges and Prospects of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature,” is set for May 9 and 10, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Participants will discuss key issues involving Arabic-language education globally and explore new approaches in response to evolving trends and needs.
The event will involve scholars, researchers and language experts; and will help promote Arab culture, the SPA reported.
The conference will focus six key areas related to teaching Arabic as a second language in Korea: modern methodologies, teaching materials, evaluation techniques, instructional strategies, and the current state of Arabic-language learning in Korea.
By bringing together experts and academics from Saudi Arabia, Korea and other regions, the conference is designed to assist Arabic-language teachers and non-native speakers.
The King Salman academy is also set to launch its upcoming international conference on computational linguistics.
Red Wave-7 naval drill kicks off in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: The Red Wave-7 naval exercise has started at King Faisal Naval Base, home of the Western Fleet.
As well as the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, taking part are countries including Jordan, Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen, along with the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and units of the Saudi Border Guard.
The commander of the Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, said the drill aimed to enhance maritime security for countries bordering the Red Sea and protect territorial waters, according to Saudi Press Agency.
The drill includes a number of scenarios featuring exercises that offer significant training opportunities. There will be strategic lectures and simulated combat exercises designed to reflect potential real-world situations.
It will promote joint and combined operations, such as surface and air warfare, electronic warfare, and countering speedboat attacks. The forces will also conduct maritime security exercises, including protecting shipping lines and combating smuggling, terrorism, piracy and illegal immigration.
Al-Juaid said naval ships, helicopters, fast response boats, naval infantry, maritime special security forces and various types of combat aircraft would all be deployed over the duration of the drill.
