RIYADH - The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) said that it had received in 2021 about 36,947 requests from applicants wishing to obtain trademarks in Saudi Arabia from inside and outside the Kingdom. The SAIP spokesman Yasser Al-Hakami stated that the number of the requests inside the Kingdom in 2021 amounted to about 23,710, (64 percent). While 13,237 requests (36 percent) were submitted to the authority in 2021 from outside the Kingdom. The authority announced that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, they had launched an inspection campaign to verify the shop's commitment over the intellectual property rights regulations and the public security. The SAIP said that the inspection campaign resulted in the seizure of more than 40,000 infringing trademark material, while receiving nearly 100 infringement trademark lawsuits. The authority started receiving the infringement trademark lawsuits after the Trademark Enforcement Jurisdiction was transferred from the Ministry of Commerce to SAIP. Violators will be punished with no less than one month and no more than three years in prison, or a fine of no less than SR5,0000 and not more than SR1 million. Or as determined by the judicial authority with one of these two penalties. The authority called on innovators in the agricultural scientific research field to strive to devise new plant varieties by registering them as an intellectual property right to gain a commercial competitive advantage and to maximize the benefits from it. Registering the creators' efforts as an intellectual property right will ensure that they are not exploited or displayed or sold without the right holder's permission. The SAIP seeks to provide capabilities and tools that help and contribute effectively and increase the development and diversification of the national economy in addition to strengthening cooperation with its partners.
