Saudi Crown Prince Launches National Intellectual Property Strategy

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, during the forty-third session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the sidelines of the Gulf Arab Chinese Summits, on December 9, 2022. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, during the forty-third session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the sidelines of the Gulf Arab Chinese Summits, on December 9, 2022. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Launches National Intellectual Property Strategy

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, during the forty-third session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the sidelines of the Gulf Arab Chinese Summits, on December 9, 2022. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, during the forty-third session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the sidelines of the Gulf Arab Chinese Summits, on December 9, 2022. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, launched on Thursday the National Intellectual Property Strategy (NIPST).

One of the enablers for achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, NIPST aims to build an intellectual property ecosystem that supports innovation and creativity based economy, by developing an intellectual property (IP) value chain that stimulates innovation and creativity competitiveness and supports economic growth to ensure that Saudi Arabia becomes a leader in intellectual property.

Crown Prince Mohammed underlined his aspirations to stimulate creativity and innovation in the Kingdom for the next five years through the National Intellectual Property Strategy.

“We have minds and energies passionate about innovation and creativity, and by enabling them, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will become a vibrant environment for a knowledge economy based on an integrated Intellectual Property ecosystem that develops innovative technologies and industries, and contributes to growth of enterprises,” he stressed.

“The National Intellectual Property Strategy will further enable stimulating investment, create high quality jobs, and raise awareness of creators and innovators rights.”

In order to ensure the growth of innovation and stimulate creativity, the NIPST is based on four fundamental pillars: IP Creation, IP Administration, IP Commercialization, and IP Protection.

In order to achieve these pillars, cooperation and integration with national stakeholders will be strengthened as key partners to support innovation, creativity, and investment growth worldwide through NIPST objectives. This in turn boosts Saudi Arabia’s capabilities to create IP assets of economic and social value.

IP Creation builds on the importance of IP creation and Saudi creative minds and young talents that innovate in various fields.

IP Protection seeks to respect intellectual property rights and boost the value of protection of creative rights. It also aims to stimulate the market economy through intellectual property protection.

IP Commercialization seeks to boost the competitiveness of IP-based products through the utilization of intellectual property and maximizing its impact. It will contribute to the growth and attraction of investments in Saudi Arabia and taking into consideration the Kingdom's investments in cities and projects of the future, innovation and creativity, such as The Line and Neom and its distinctive geographical location and strong digital infrastructure

To ensure effective management of human creations, IP Administration aims to improve the IP value by establishing a fast and high-quality registration system.

Each pillar will also have a number of initiatives assigned to government agencies and is measured periodically according to a governance framework that defines roles and responsibilities, including decision-making on important issues related to the implementation of NIPST projects and supporting thereof.

The adoption of NIPST supports the empowerment of innovators in various fields to build an ambitious country and a diversified and prosperous economy for Saudi Arabia and that attracts interested researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators from the Kingdom and around the world.



Al-Wali to Asharq Al-Awsat: Riyadh Talks a Pivotal Moment for Yemen’s Southern Cause

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
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Al-Wali to Asharq Al-Awsat: Riyadh Talks a Pivotal Moment for Yemen’s Southern Cause

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali described the meeting of Yemen’s southern leaders in Riyadh for consultations and dialogue on their cause on Sunday as a pivotal moment in its history, calling for the opening created by Saudi Arabia to be channeled into a political process that delivers lasting peace.

Speaking on the Asharq Al-Awsat podcast with Gulf affairs editor Badr Al-Qahtani, Al-Wali said Riyadh was not merely a diplomatic stop, but a place close to the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, offering a chance to correct past shortcomings in conveying the southern voice.

The veteran Yemeni politician said southerners now faced a “huge opportunity” under Saudi sponsorship, noting that Riyadh had taken the initiative to invite discussions on the issue and “left the matter in our hands.”

He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s role in bringing the parties together without imposing guardianship and in supporting whatever they agree upon without interference.

He said Saudi assurances had been explicit: “The opinion is yours, the decision is yours. We are sponsors and will not impose anything on you. Raise your ceiling to the sky.”

Al-Wali said a message from Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman was clear and direct.

“The southern cause is just, with historical and social dimensions, and the Kingdom will not abandon the people of the south and will stand with their will,” he remarked.

“It is enough for the southern voice to reach Saudi Arabia, and for it to understand the justice of the pain that has accumulated since unification,” he stressed.

On preparations for the Riyadh Conference for Yemeni southern dialogue, Al-Wali said discussions would address the shape of the state and its system “with an open ceiling,” to be decided by consensus without exclusion.

The focus was on restoring the state as a path toward dignity, security, stability, development, and prosperity for people, he went on to say.

“The South has room for everyone. There are no intentions of marginalization or exclusion. Any other projects are not sidelined, but discussed,” he assured.

Al-Wali addressed a message to the southern people, saying: “Trust us. We represent in Riyadh those who authorized us,” in a reference to not compromising the cause or taking decisions that contradict popular will.

In another message, he said: “The Saudis will find from the southerners only what pleases God and pleases them, while preserving the bonds of neighborhood, blood, kinship, and shared interests.”

Turning to the roots of the issue, Al-Wali said Yemeni unity had not been an “invasion” or imposed by force, but a voluntary move toward Sanaa “with open hearts,” in the hope of a larger state, a broader economy, and deeper development.

He said that if the price of stability, calm, and development were Yemen’s return to two states, then it would be better, in his view, to have two neighboring states bound by affection, with flexible and smooth economic and social relations and strong fraternal ties, rather than antagonism that “paralyzed both peoples.”

Outlining his vision for a future state, Al-Wali presented the contours of a “federal southern state” that would grant governorates room to contribute to development, investment, and wealth, with equality in rights and duties and fairness in the distribution of resources so that they reach all who deserve them.

He reiterated the centrality of Saudi Arabia’s role, saying the Kingdom’s weight was “very balanced” regionally and globally, and that its engagement represented a historic opportunity to achieve peace “without it being followed by war.”

Asked how he found Riyadh, Al-Wali replied: “As I have always known it. A country of security and stability. Calm and serenity. Love and peace. You come to it, your soul settles, and you feel reassured.”

“Their promises are sincere and are not broken,” he stressed.


Saudi Arabia and Ecuador Sign General Cooperation Agreement

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia and Ecuador Sign General Cooperation Agreement

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held talks on Wednesday with his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

They reviewed relations between their countries and ways to boost them in various fields. They also exchanged views on a number of topics of mutual interest.

Following the meeting, the ministers signed a general cooperation agreement between their respective governments aimed at strengthening relations between their countries and advancing them toward broader horizons.


Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief Delivers Winter Clothing to Students in Gaza’s Khan Younis

KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief Delivers Winter Clothing to Students in Gaza’s Khan Younis

KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The gesture is part of the Saudi campaign to support the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Field teams from the Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, the implementing partner of KSrelief in Gaza, carried out the distribution alongside interactive and recreational activities for the students.

The campaign reflects Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment, through KSrelief, to supporting the Palestinian people during crises and hardships, embodying the Kingdom’s noble humanitarian mission.