Saudi Arabia's General Administration of Copyright imposed fines amounting to more than SR4 million ($1.066 million) on copyright violators and issued compensation amounting to SR2 million during 2013.

Penalties for violators also included temporary shutdown of business operations for periods ranging from 14 days to 60 days, which added up to 3,562 shutdown days in total, the administration said.

In addition, the administration also confiscated more than a 1,000 computers loaded with programs and materials that infringed copyright and seized over two million discs related to programs, games and movies, as well as more than 300 electronic units such as flash USBs and hardisks, it said.

Rafiq bin Ibrahim Aqeeli, Director General of the General Administration of Copyright, said the administration’s inspectors conducted more than 2,500 field tours to premises that included distributors of computer hardware and software, stores, corporate headquarters, commercial establishments and service providers in all cities of the kingdom. During these tours, more than 7,590 violations were identified, of which 667 were related to copyright violations.

Aqeeli added: “Last year the offences varied between copies of books and intellectual works, audio-visual materials and computer programs, while other infringements included the use by corporate facilities of computer software without permits, receiving satellite feed via individual subscriptions, and violations by newspapers using images without the consent of the copyright owners." - TradeArabia News Service