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Experts to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Intellectual Property Strategy to Generate Initiatives, Attract Quality Investments

Saudi Arabia moves towards diversifying sources of income and growing the national economy through non-oil output (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia moves towards diversifying sources of income and growing the national economy through non-oil output (Asharq Al-Awsat)
    Riyadh - Mohammed al-Mutairi
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Experts to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Intellectual Property Strategy to Generate Initiatives, Attract Quality Investments

Saudi Arabia moves towards diversifying sources of income and growing the national economy through non-oil output (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia moves towards diversifying sources of income and growing the national economy through non-oil output (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced the launch of the National Intellectual Property Strategy to support the Kingdom’s economy based on innovation and creativity.

According to analysts, the Strategy will push the Saudi economy towards growth and development, enhance the domestic product, bring quality investments to the Kingdom, and generate initiatives and job opportunities.

“This strategy will promote the Saudi economy’s growth and development as it will lead towards innovation and the discovery of hidden potentials in the knowledge, digital and bold economy,” said Muhammad bin Dulaim Al-Qahtani, Professor of Economics at King Faisal University.

“It will also push Saudi sectors towards competitiveness and strengthen the Kingdom’s external position in preserving intellectual property rights,” added Al-Qahtani.

Al-Qahtani also noted that the Strategy will also attract dreamers and innovation lovers to Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, the Strategy will make the Kingdom compete with developed countries in embracing ideas and innovators.

Al-Qahtani indicated that the strategy will lead the Saudi economy towards knowledge, pointing out that the knowledge economy is equivalent to triple the regular economy.

“The launch of the Strategy will contribute to supporting economic growth and social development and protecting the national economy from losses estimated at more than SAR 11 billion ($2.9 billion),” said Essam Mustafa Khalifa, member of the Saudi Economic Association.

Most of the loss referred to by Khalifa can be traced back to the piracy of computer programs and literary works and commercial fraud.

“The Strategy will also contribute to supporting and unifying efforts of sectors concerned with intellectual property rights, including the judicial authorities,” added Khalifa.

Khalifa stressed that Saudi Arabia seeks to produce legislation regarding various types of intellectual property, especially that the Kingdom is a member of the main international conventions related to intellectual property rights.

He pointed out that the Kingdom enacted several previous laws in the field of intellectual rights protection, including the trademark system, the commercial fraud prevention system, the patent system and copyright protection, and the trade names system.

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Israel Central Bank Holds Rates

The Bank of Israel building in Jerusalem. Reuters
The Bank of Israel building in Jerusalem. Reuters
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Israel Central Bank Holds Rates

The Bank of Israel building in Jerusalem. Reuters
The Bank of Israel building in Jerusalem. Reuters

The Bank of Israel kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday for a sixth straight meeting, but raised the prospect of future rate increases should armed conflict on two fronts push inflation up more than expected.
The central bank - also worried about Israel's investor risk premium which has risen since the Gaza war began on Oct. 7 last year - left its benchmark rate at 4.50%.
"In view of the continuing war, the Monetary Committee’s policy is focusing on stabilizing the markets and reducing uncertainty, alongside price stability and supporting economic activity," the central bank said in a statement.
Policymakers expressed worries over rising inflation stemming largely from supply constraints related to the war with Hamas in Gaza and accelerating fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying the increase in the pace of inflation is broad, Reuters reported.
Israel's annual inflation rate rose to 3.6% in August from 3.2% in the previous month, moving further above the government's 1%-3% target range after falling as low as 2.5% in February.
Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron told a news conference after the decision that the future direction of interest rates was "data dependent.”
Prior to the war, rates - which rose rapidly in 2022 and 2023 - were expected to decline this year. The central bank had reduced its key rate by 25 basis points in January but it has been on hold since due to the war, rising inflation pressures, a widening budget deficit and the higher risk premium.
Some investors have begun to speculate that inflation will continue to rise and possibly push the central bank to raising rates again.
"If inflation rises at a faster rate than we predicted ... we can definitely raise the interest rate," Yaron said, noting the inflation rate is expected to gain in near term.
Yaron said the current level of rates is believed to be restrictive enough to ultimately bring inflation back to within its target.
He added that in the current period Israel's uncertainty is far greater than what the US and European central banks - which have started to loosen policy - are experiencing.
The decision to hold rates steady came despite the bank's research department slashing its forecast for Israeli economic growth this year to 0.5% from a previous estimate of 1.5%.
The economy grew an annualized 0.7% in the second quarter, slowing markedly from a 17.2% pace in the first quarter.
All 14 analysts polled by Reuters had expected no rates move on Wednesday.
The central bank's researchers raised their inflation forecast for the coming year to 3.2% from 3.0%, while the interest rate is projected at its current 4.5% level, rather than 4.25% predicted in July.
The staff raised their expectation for Israel's 2024 budget deficit to 7.2% of gross domestic product from 6.6% due to the extra funds needed to finance the military conflicts. They see a 4.9% of GDP deficit in 2025.
"Approval of a responsible budget for 2025 is an essential component in strengthening the international markets’ trust and maintaining the economy’s robustness," Yaron said.
The budget's passage has been delayed due to political infighting.
The rates decision was initially slated for Monday but was moved to not coincide with the Oct. 7 anniversary of the start of the Gaza war.