Commons:Copyright rules by territory/Saudi Arabia

This page provides an overview of copyright rules of Saudi Arabia relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons. Note that any work originating in Saudi Arabia must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both Saudi Arabia and the United States before it can be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. If there is any doubt about the copyright status of a work from Saudi Arabia, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.

Background

Ibn Saud, son of the former Emir of Nejd, conquered Riyadh in 1902. Over the next thirty years he extended his control over Najd, Hejaz and parts of Eastern and Southern Arabia. He founded the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Saudi Arabia has been a member of the Universal Copyright Convention since 13 July 1994, the Berne Convention since 11 March 2004 and the World Trade Organization since 11 December 2005.[1]

Governing laws

As of 2018 the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, listed the Copyright Law (promulgated by Royal Decree No. M/41 of 2 Rajab, 1424 (August 30th,2003)) as the main IP law enacted by the legislature of Saudi Arabia.[1] WIPO holds the text of this law in their WIPO Lex database.[2][3] This 2003 law was replaced by Copyright Law (promulgated by Royal Decree No. M/169 of 27 January 2026), which was published in the official gazette Umm Al-Qura on 13 February 2026 and came into effect on 12 August 2026.[4] The said official gazette also provided an online copy of the law in Arabic,[5] as well as the executive regulations of the law (in Arabic) that was published on 31 July 2026, subject to a 60-day appeal starting from the date of publication for those who are against a decision issued by the Authority.[6] The Nezams Online Portal also posted the text of the law in Arabic.[7]

Applicability

Protected works are:[M/169/2026 Article 22(3)]

  • Written materials like books, pamphlets and others.
  • Works delivered orally like lectures, speeches, poetry, songs and the like.
  • Dramatic works, plays, shows and similar presentations which involve motion, sound or both.
  • Works of drawings, fine arts, decorative art and artistic embroidery and the like.
  • Musical and audio-visual works.
  • Works of applied art works.
  • Photographic works and the like.
  • Illustrations, geographical maps, designs, plans, sketches and sculptured works related to geography, topography and science.
  • Three Dimensional works of geography, topography, architecture or science.
  • Works of architecture and architectural plans.
  • Computer programs and applications.
  • Collections of works and cultural heritage, such as encyclopedias, anthologies, and databases, that are innovative in terms of the selection or arrangement of their contents. This protection does not extend to the data or materials themselves, nor does it affect the rights of the authors in respect of all the data and materials that form part of the collection of works and cultural heritage, whether in machine-readable form or in any other form.
  • Derivative works, without prejudice to the protection afforded to the works from which they are derived.

General rules

Current 2026 law or Copyright Law (M/169 of 27 January 2026)
  • The author's financial rights in the work shall be protected throughout his lifetime and shall continue for 50 years after his death.[M/169/2026 Article 22(1)]
  • The author's financial rights for the authors of joint works shall be protected throughout their lifetime and shall continue for 50 years from the death of the last surviving author.[M/169/2026 Article 22(2)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of the works in which the author is a legal entity, or whose author is unknown or that bear a pseudonym, shall be 50 years from the date of the first publication of the work.[M/169/2026 Article 22(3)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of audiovisual works shall be 50 years from the date of the first performance or completion of the work.[M/169/2026 Article 22(4)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of collective works in which the author is a legal entity shall be 50 years from the date of the first publication of the work. If the author of the collective work is a natural person, the term shall be calculated in accordance with what is stipulated in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article.[M/169/2026 Article 22(5)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of the applied art works (whether handcrafted or manufactured) shall be 25 years from the date of the first publication.[M/169/2026 Article 22(6)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of broadcasting organizations shall be 20 years, commencing from the first day of the year following the year in which the first broadcast of programs or materials took place.[M/169/2026 Article 23(1)]
  • The term of protection for the financial rights of producers of sound recordings shall be 50 years, commencing from the first day of the year following the year in which the sound recording was published, or the first day of the year in which the sound recording was fixed if it had not been published.[M/169/2026 Article 23(2)]

Calculation for cases under Article 22:

  • The term of protection stipulated in this article begins from the beginning of the year following the death of the author, the completion of the work, its exhibition or its publication, as the case may be.[M/169/2026 Article 22(first concluding paragraph)]
  • If the work according to paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) of this article consists of several parts or volumes, published separately and at intervals, each part or volume shall be considered an independent work for the purpose of calculating the term of protection for financial rights.[M/169/2026 Article 22(second concluding paragraph)]
  • If the author becomes known before the end of 50 years, the term of protection shall be as stipulated in paragraph (1) of this article.[M/169/2026 Article 22(third concluding paragraph)]

Non-retroactivity:

  • Literary, artistic, and scientific works, performances, sound recordings, and broadcast programs that have not had their protection period under the previous Copyright Law expired before the entry into force of this law, or whose protection had not lapsed in the countries of origin that are bound with the Kingdom by international agreements or treaties for the protection of author's rights, shall enjoy protection in accordance with the periods specified in Articles 22 and 23 of this law.[M/169/2026 Article 22(third concluding paragraph)]
Repealed 2003 law or Copyright Law (M/41 of 30 August 2003)
  • The period of copyright for the author of a work shall be for the duration of his life and for a period of 50 years following his death.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(1)]
  • The period of copyright for joint works shall be computed from the date of the death of the last surviving author.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(2)]
  • The protection period for works where the author is a corporate entity is 50 years from the date of the first publication of the work.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(3)]
  • The protection period for a work whose author's name is unknown is 50 years from the date of the first publication of the work, as long as the author does not become known during this period.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(3)]
  • The protection period for sound works, audio-visual works, films, collective works and computer programs is 50 years from the date of the first show or publication of the work, regardless of republication.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(5)]
  • The protection period for applied art (handcrafted or manufactured) and photographs is 25 years of the date of publication, regardless of republication.[M/41/2003 Art. 19 First(6)]
Repealed older laws

In the older copyright law (Royal Decree No M/11) there was a term of 25 years for audio or visual works, photographs and anonymous works (Art. 24) and the Hijri calendar was used for calculation. Note that this law did not contain "as long as the author does not become known during this period" or other such provision for anonymous works.

According to Article 20 of the 2003 law, it did not restore copyright on works that had their copyright expire under the old law, and it came into effect six months after the date of its publication on 22 Rajab 1424 (22 Muharram 1425). so these types of works published before 1400 AH (20 November 1979) are in the public domain.

Royal Decree No M/11 was enacted in 1989. Before this there may either have been no copyright law at all in Saudi Arabia or the Ottoman 1910 copyright law. However, the 1989 law applied to all works created before it (Article 25).

United States status

In order to be hosted on Commons, all works must be in the public domain in the United States as well as in their source country. Saudi Arabia's works are currently in the public domain in the United States if their copyright had expired in Saudi Arabia on the URAA date of restoration ( 11 March 2004).[8]

  • Photographic work or work of applied art: copyright has expired in the U.S. if published before 20 November 1979
  • Sound works, audio-visual works, films or collective works: copyright has expired in the U.S. if published before 20 November 1979
  • Broadcast materials: copyright has expired in the U.S. if transmitted before 25 October 1984
  • Other works with an identifiable author: copyright has expired in the U.S. if author died before 18 August 1955
  • Work whose author is unknown or was published by a corporate entity: copyright has expired in the U.S. if published before 20 November 1979.

Not protected

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Unprotected works Under the repealed Copyright Law (M/41 of 30 August 2003) and the new Copyright Law (M/169 of 27 January 2026), protection does not cover the following:[M/41/2003 Art. 4][M/169/2026 Art. 4]

  • Ideas, procedures, work methods, concepts of mathematical sciences, axioms and abstract facts.
  • Regulations and bylaws, judicial rulings and orders, decisions and orders issued by administrative and quasi-judicial committees, administrative decisions, international agreements and all other official documents, as well as the official translations thereof, subject to the provisions pertaining the circulation of these documents.
  • News of the day or events of a press-like nature that are published in newspapers, magazines, periodicals, or broadcasts.

Cultural heritage: Protected by the State

See also: Commons:Paying public domain

The new Copyright Law (M/169 of 27 January 2026) introduced protections on the cultural heritage of the kingdom. It is defined as "works created within the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, passed down from generation to generation, and forming part of the Saudi national or traditional artistic heritage."[M/169/2026 Art. 1]

  • Cultural heritage is a property of the State, and the competent authority shall be responsible for defining, preserving, supporting and defending it in accordance with the public interests of the State.[M/169/2026 Art. 6]

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Copyright tags

Currency

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Currency  Not OK for all currency issued since 1400 AH (20 November 1979)

Freedom of panorama

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Freedom of panorama The new Copyright Law (M/169 of 27 January 2026) formally introduced a freedom of panorama clause for works permanently located in public spaces, something that the repealed Copyright Law (M/41 of 30 August 2003) lacked. However, only images of the works of architecture (in their external appearances) and applied art enjoy full panorama exception. Works of art can only be included in the images in an incidental manner; failing that, the use must be "non-commercial".

  • Without the author's permission and without compensation, a work may be used incidentally by including works permanently located in public places in a photographic, audiovisual or sound recording, with the possibility of reproducing, distributing, performing, displaying, or transmitting it to the public, provided that this does not affect the author's financial rights and the purpose of the work.[M/169/2026 Article 29(1)]
  • Without the author's permission and without compensation, works of applied art or the exterior of architectural works permanently located in public places may be reproduced by drawing, photography, or similar means, and distributed or displayed by any similar means, provided that this does not affect the author's financial rights.[M/169/2026 Article 29(2)]
Three-step test rule
  • In cases stipulated in Articles 26 to 36, the use of the work by a third party must not conflict with the normal exploitation of the work and must not cause undue harm to the legitimate interests of the rightsholders.[M/169/2026 Article 37(1)]
  • In cases other than those stipulated in Articles 26 to 36, the use of the work by a third party may be carried out without the author's permission and without compensation if the use is non-commercial, does not conflict with the normal exploitation of the work, and does not cause undue harm to the legitimate interests of the rightsholders.[M/169/2026 Article 37(2)]
Photography restrictions – Commons:Non-copyright restrictions
  • Even taking pictures of sites not covered by copyrights may be challenged, and photographers operating in Saudi Arabia have found it useful to carry a copy of a decree allowing taking pictures from public places.[9][10][11] However, these restrictions do not concern copyrights of the architects and sculptors of their works. Wikimedia Commons can safely host images from these restricted sites, provided that no work of art – whose artist (painter, sculptor, et cetera) is not yet died for more than 50 years – is present in any of these images in a non-incidental manner.

See also

Citations

Caution: The above description may be inaccurate, incomplete and/or out of date, so must be treated with caution. Before you upload a file to Wikimedia Commons you should ensure it may be used freely. See also: Commons:General disclaimer
Category:Commons licensing help by country#Saudi%20Arabia Category:Copyright rules of Saudi Arabia
Category:Commons licensing help by country Category:Copyright rules of Saudi Arabia