Saudi Arabia's New Copyright Law 2026: What It Means for Your Software and Digital Content

Saudi Arabia's New Copyright Law: What Changes for Your Digital Business

On 12 August 2026, Saudi Arabia's new Copyright Law enters into force, replacing the 2003 law that governed creative and digital works for more than two decades. Approved by Royal Decree No. M/169 and published in the Official Gazette on 13 February 2026, the new law is built for a world of software, streaming, online platforms, and artificial intelligence. If your company owns code, a website, an app, marketing content, or a digital product, this is the most consequential intellectual-property update in years — and it applies in a matter of days.

What is changing, and when

The law is administered by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), which handles registration, licensing, and settlement. Other bodies take specific roles: the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) enforces border measures against infringing goods, the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) coordinates rules for internet content, and the Ministry of Culture oversees cultural heritage and collective management. The implementing regulations are due to apply from the same 12 August 2026 effective date, so the framework arrives as a complete package rather than in stages.

Software licensing is now clearer — and enforceable

For technology companies this is the headline. The new law expressly recognises shrink-wrap, click-wrap, and installation licences as enforceable — the click-to-accept terms behind almost every app and SaaS product now stand on firm legal ground. At the same time, it grants lawful users of software a set of permitted acts: making a backup copy, performing maintenance and error correction, achieving interoperability with other systems, and conducting security testing. In practice this means your end-user licence agreements and SaaS terms carry more weight, while legitimate technical work on licensed software is protected rather than treated as infringement.

Streaming, platforms, and the "making-available" right

The law modernises how online distribution is treated. A dedicated "making-available" right covers streaming and on-demand services, closing gaps the 2003 law never anticipated. Crucially for anyone running a marketplace, an app store, or a user-content platform, the law introduces a safe harbour: intermediaries that meet clear notice-and-takedown conditions are shielded from liability for content their users upload. If you operate a platform, having a working, documented takedown process is no longer optional — it is your legal protection.

AI training data: a first-of-its-kind exception in the Gulf

The most forward-looking provision is a statutory exception that permits copying protected works "for developing artificial intelligence products and algorithms," subject to safeguards. Described by legal analysts as one of the first statutory AI training-data exceptions in the GCC, it gives companies building or fine-tuning AI models a clearer legal basis to work with data — provided the conditions are met. For Saudi businesses investing in AI during the Kingdom's declared Year of Artificial Intelligence, this removes a significant grey area, but it does not erase the need to document your sources and respect the safeguards.

Registration now gives you a legal advantage

Under the old law, registering a work carried no evidentiary weight. The new law creates a rebuttable presumption of ownership for registered works — meaning that if a dispute arises, the registered owner is presumed to be the rightful holder unless proven otherwise. For a software house or a content business, registering your critical code, designs, and original content with SAIP is now a concrete legal asset, not just paperwork, and a practical shortcut that eases your burden of proof on the day a conflict appears.

Stronger enforcement and much bigger penalties

Enforcement has real teeth. Criminal prosecution moves to the Public Prosecution before the competent courts, replacing the old Violations Committee. Maximum financial penalties rise sharply — up to SAR 1,000,000 for infringement, and as high as SAR 2,000,000 for repeat offences, alongside possible imprisonment. On the civil side, rights holders gain remedies including seizure of infringing items and tools, cessation orders, disclosure orders, and compensation that can include the infringer's profits. Copying software, content, or designs without a licence is now a materially riskier proposition than it was.

Why this matters now, not later

A copyright statute can feel remote from a business owner's daily concerns, but its impact is direct for any company that runs on digital assets. Your website, your app's source code, your brand designs, the content you publish, and the AI models you train are all works governed by this law. With penalties rising and prosecution moving to the Public Prosecution, the risk of using an unlicensed work — or being careless about documenting ownership — is far higher than before. Conversely, a business that puts its house in order before 12 August turns the law from a source of risk into a tool that protects its assets and gives it the upper hand in any dispute. The next ten days are a window to get organised, not a reason to wait for the first problem to appear.

What your business should do before 12 August

• Review your software licences, EULAs, and SaaS terms so they align with the new enforceable framework.
• Register ownership of your critical code, brand assets, and original content with SAIP to secure the ownership presumption.
• Get written IP-assignment clauses from every contractor, freelancer, and agency — ownership of commissioned work should never be assumed.
• If you run a platform, implement a documented notice-and-takedown process to qualify for the safe harbour.
• If you train or fine-tune AI, document your data sources and the safeguards you apply.

How Origami approaches this

As a technology company, we build software with clean intellectual-property ownership from the first commit: clear contributor and contractor assignments, licences that hold up under review, and platforms designed with takedown and compliance in mind. The new Copyright Law rewards businesses that treat IP as an asset to be documented and defended — and that is how we deliver every project, so the ownership of what you pay for is never in doubt when you need to prove it.

Sources

• Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP): https://www.saip.gov.sa
• Royal Decree No. M/169 (2 February 2026), published in the Official Gazette (Umm Al-Qura), 13 February 2026.
• Baker McKenzie — Saudi Arabia: New Copyright Law Modernises KSA IP Framework: https://www.bakermckenzie.com
• AO Shearman — Saudi Arabia's New Copyright Law: Key Changes and Implications: https://www.aoshearman.com