Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property has conducted more than 2,000 field inspection visits in 51 cities and governorates across the Kingdom. This resulted in the seizure of more than 3.6 million products that violated the Trademark Law. Around 52 percent of these violations were in the clothing and footwear sector, according to the 2024 Annual Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Report, issued by the authority.

The report, released in conjunction with the Regional Conference on Intellectual Property Enforcement Practices, organized by the authority, indicated the seizure of 330 suspected customs shipments in cooperation with the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority. This resulted in the prevention of more than 6.7 million infringing products from entering the local market.

In the digital space, 2024 witnessed a significant increase in the rate of blocking, with 7,900 websites blocked, a 128 percent increase compared to 2023, for live streaming sites that violated the Copyright Protection Law. The authority also received and examined more than 3,200 complaints related to copyright and trademark infringement.

Internationally, Saudi Arabia has made progress in several international indicators and reports related to the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including the American Chamber of Commerce Intellectual Property Index Report. The Kingdom also achieved an advanced ranking in the enforcement index of the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the International Institute for Management Development.