The following phrases and terms, wherever mentioned in this policy, shall have the meanings indicated opposite them, unless the context requires otherwise.

Policy: The policy means, wherever it appears in the provisions, the following: The University’s Intellectual Property Policy.

Ministry: Ministry of Education.

The University: Prince Sultan University.

The System: The university system issued by Royal Decree No. 27 AD on 27/2/1443.

Faculty Member: Those who work at the university from among the faculty members, and those of similar status among Saudis and non-Saudis, whether through employment or contracting.

Employee: Anyone who occupies a public civil position at the University, or practices its tasks, whatever the nature of his/her work or the name of his/her position, whether through employment or contracting, permanently or temporarily.

Student: Any student registered at the University, including graduate students and students enrolled in training courses approved by the University.

University Staff: A term that includes a faculty member, employee, and student.

Visiting Professor: It includes non-affiliates of the University visiting professors, assistant professors, assistants, teachers, researchers, and scientists who work with the university under a research cooperation contract.

Partner: Any entity that enters into a partnership with the university.

Partnership: Any arrangement under which the University enters into agreement with any other entity or entities to cooperatively undertake research and development projects, or other innovative projects that are financially supported by them, and implemented cooperatively.

Beneficiary: A person who receives financial aid from the University to support the conduct of research, further education, or any other purpose, in accordance with any agreement that does not specify specific outputs.

Intellectual Property: The outputs of human creativity, which include, but are not limited to, inventions, trademarks, copyrights, drawings, designs, models, specifications, concepts, processes, technologies, databases, commercial names, plant varieties, trade secrets, and others.

Invention: An idea that comes across the inventor’s mind, which results in solving a specific problem in the field of technology.

Patent: The protection document granted by government patent offices, in the country in which it is registered, to whoever invented it, for a specified period.

Trademark: Is that creation that come in the form of names, words, signatures, letters, symbols, numbers, titles, and seals, as well as designs, graphics, images, distinctive engravings, or the way graphic elements are wrapped, or shapes, color, group of colors or combinations, or any sign or group of signs if they are used or intended to be used to distinguish goods or services of a facility from the goods or services of other facilities, or to indicate the performance of one of the services, or to conduct control or examination of goods or services. The mark of sound or smell can be considered as a trademark.

Industrial Models: An assembly of lines, two-dimensional colors, or a three-dimensional shape that gives any industrial product, or a product of traditional crafts a special look, provided that it is not for a mere functional or technical purpose, which include textile designs.

Trade Secrets: Any information has the following traits:

1. If it is usually unknown in its final form, or in any of its precise components, and it is difficult to obtain usually in the midst of dealers with this type of information.
2. If it is of a real or potential commercial value, due to its confidentiality.
3. If the right holder subjected it to reasonable measures, commensurate with its nature and surrounding circumstances, to maintain its confidentiality.

Protection Document: The document granted by the competent authority for a subject matter of protection, which may include: patent, design certificate, botanical patent or industrial model certificate.

Inventor: The person who came up with the invention, whether alone or in partnership with others.

Classified: It is an innovative literary, scientific, or artistic production, regardless of its type, importance, method of expression, or the purpose of its authorship.

Author: Every creative person who concentrates his/her efforts to create any of the literary, artistic or scientific works, such as: Writer, poet, painter, musician, or other artists, according to their fields of creativity.

Copyright: A group of moral and material interests that reserve the right of the author.

International Application: It is a patent application that has been submitted under the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. PCT

The Patent Cooperation Treaty-PCT: The Patent Cooperation Treaty supervised by the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is in force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia starting from August 3, 2013.

Previous Intellectual Property: They are the intellectual property rights that may be related to any agreement, which resulted from the following:

1. Before the effective date of the agreement to which the university is a party, and was owned or controlled by another party or any of its subsidiaries.
2. Independent activities by another party or its subsidiaries outside the scope of agreements, to which the university is a party.

Funding: All the financial and non-financial resources that the university receives, whether from the government or from its own resources, or through any external funder.

Financing Agreement: Any contract, grant, or cooperation agreement concluded between the university and another party, to finance a specific project/projects, to perform research or creative work, the outputs of which are expected to generate intellectual property assets.

Commercial Exploitation: The commercial use of exclusive rights granted under intellectual property systems.

The Office: The University Intellectual Property Management Office, which is the entity that is established within the framework of this policy, to supervise all aspects of intellectual property proposed by this policy.

Advisory Council: The council that is established by a decision of the President of the University, to handle several tasks, based on rules and procedures proposed by the Department / Office of Intellectual Property and issued by a decision of the University President.

Intellectual Property Management: A set of administrative procedures that are carried out by the Department / Office of Intellectual Property to manage and regulate intellectual property.

Tangible Search Property: All physical or tangible things produced in the course of research or other projects supported by the University, or it is involved in supporting them, including but not limited to: Biological materials, engineering drawings, computer software, integrated circuit wafers, computer databases and device models, circuit and equipment schematics.

Disclosure: The disclosure and transfer of information related to intellectual property to other parties, including but not limited to: Disclosure in written or oral form, via email, posting on social media or blogs, in a news report, press release, interview, magazine publication, abstract, report, presentation at a conference, presenting the invention, or the industrial application of the invention at a trade fair.

Disclosure Forms: The forms prepared by the Department / Office of Intellectual Property at the University in the Innovation Center for the purpose of written disclosure of intellectual property according to the manual or electronic forms specified by them.

Total Revenue of Intellectual Property: All revenues received by the University for marketing the institutional intellectual property, before any cost refunds or deductions of intellectual property expenses.

Intellectual Property Expenses: All expenses incurred by the University in the management of intellectual property, for which total intellectual property revenues have been received.

Non-exclusive License: A license that grants the licensee the right to use intellectual property rights, and does not prevent the licenser from giving the same rights to others, according to certain conditions between the two parties.

Exclusive License: A license that grants the licensee the right to use intellectual property rights, and prevents the licenser from giving the same rights to others, according to certain conditions between the two parties.

Revenues: Payments received for the use or right to use intellectual rights, which include copyrights, patents, designs, industrial secrets, trademarks and trade names, know-how, trade secrets, business, reputation, and payments received for information related to industrial, commercial, or scientific expertise, or in return for authorizing the right to use them.

Intellectual Property Department / Office also referred to as the Unit: A unit linked to the Innovation Center that handles all matters related to intellectual property in the university, in accordance with this policy, including the following:

1. Implementing and following up the university's intellectual property policy, and implementing the actions contained therein.
2. Documenting the intellectual property, and establishing its own records, which are reached under the provisions of this policy.

First: Policy Principles:

1. This policy shall take into account the relevant rules and regulations applicable in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. This policy shall not conflict with international treaties and agreements of which the Kingdom is a member.
3. Taking effective and necessary measures to protect the university’s intellectual property rights.
4. Supporting, enabling, and using innovations.
5. Supporting and achieving the goals mentioned in the university plan, and working to enhance its scientific, research and social standing.
6. Considering and respecting the intellectual property rights of other entities.

Second: Policy Objectives:

1. Forming a clear vision for the university and its partners about who owns the intellectual output of joint cooperation, the economic and commercial rights resulting from that, and who controls them.
2. Obtaining and transferring technology to stimulate the creation of new companies, and to bring knowledge-based economic opportunities.
3. Setting general rules and frameworks, which the university shall follow in enacting its policies.
4. Raising awareness of national legislation and regulations related to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
5. Promoting scientific research, technical development, and motivating researchers by providing a supportive environment for the production of intellectual property.
6. Protecting the university from deliberate or spontaneous violations of the intellectual property of others, and preventing legal problems, financial implications, and the university's reputation with other parties.

Third: Policy Scope:

1. This policy applies to universities and research centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. This policy applies to all research and development activities funded by the universities’ own sources, or by what is allocated from the state budget to the university, or by other parties, or by the university’s partners, with the exception of joint ventures that are according to contractual agreements funded by the private sector, and specified with outputs for the benefit of the private sector.
3. This policy covers all areas of intellectual property, including but not limited to: Patents, copyrights, and related rights, trademarks, new plant varieties, schematic designs of integrated circuits, undisclosed commercial information, and any other related topics that may fall within the intellectual property issues, such as management, exploitation, protection, etc.
4. This policy applies to all cases of intellectual property products that are produced in facilities owned by the university such as laboratories, research centers, etc., or managed by them, or those who work in other places under its management, supervision, or financial support, or workers in any place in partnership with it.
5. This policy’s provisions, after being approved by the University Council, apply to all parties governed by the policy, such as a faculty member and the like, students, employees, visiting professors, consultants, contractors, and any related party specified by the university.

In general, the university seeks to benefit from the outputs of its scientific research and to direct it in a way that enhances the value of its intellectual assets of high economic value. This effort can be detailed as follows:

1. The university actively seeks to protect the intellectual property of inventions and creations that are created or invented by faculty members, employees, students, and those who have a relationship with it, or those inventions and creations obtained by it, in order to ensure using them in support of its goals.
2. The university provides the necessary resources to implement this policy in accordance with the best known practices for the protection and management of intellectual property.
3. The university seeks to contribute to strengthening the Kingdom's position in intellectual property through the rights it owns, develops, or obtains.
4. The university takes into account the intellectual property rights of other entities in all its activities.
5. If the university assigns its rights to an invention, literary work, or other types of intellectual property, or licenses any of them in accordance with what is specified in this policy, then the assignee or licensee may be the inventor or owner of the work.
6. Consists and agrees with the provisions of international treaties, agreements and regulations that regulate intellectual property, to which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a party, or the local regulations issued by a royal decree related to intellectual property, which are the following:
1. The Patents and Layout Designs Regulation for Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties and Industrial Designs issued by Royal Decree No. (M/27) on 5/29/1425 corresponding to July 17, 2004 AD, and amended by the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 036 on 10/29/1439 and its implementing regulations.
2. The Patents Regulation of the Gulf Cooperation Council, approved by Royal Decree No. M/28 on 1/1/1442 corresponding to 3/26/2001 and its implementing regulations. The GCC patent regulation is considered regional regulation, and geographically covers all GCC countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
3. The Copyright Protection Regulation issued by Royal Decree No. (M/41) on 02/07/1424 AH corresponding to 30/08/ 2003 AD, as amended by the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 036 on 10/29/1439 and its implementing regulations.
4. The Trademarks Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council approved by Royal Decree No. (M / 01) on 2/7/1432 AH corresponding to May 25, 2014 AD, and its implementing regulations.
5. Regulations of the voluntary registration of copyright works.

a. The Protection Regulation of Confidential Commercial Information issued by the decision of the Minister of Commerce and Industry No. 3218 on 2/25/1426 AH corresponding to 04/05/ 2000, and amended by Resolution No. 4319 on 01/05/1426 AH corresponding to 08/06/ 2005 AD.

A. Department / Office of Intellectual Property in the University Research and Initiative Center

The university establishes an intellectual property department / office at the Research and Initiative Center. This department / office handles all matters related to intellectual property, in accordance with this policy. The tasks are as follows:

1. Implementing and following-up the university's intellectual property policy.
2. Documenting the intellectual property that is reached under the provisions of this policy.
3. Developing the research of previous technology of intellectual property.
4. Seeking to protect and register intellectual property rights, and following up procedures and financial obligations.
5. Preparing approaches related to intellectual property, and approving them with regard to the agreements of the entity, whether internal or external, including but not limited to, non-disclosure agreements, work contracts, research agreements, cooperation and partnership agreements, and data exchange agreements.
6. Marketing the intellectual property assets of the university in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
7. Ensuring that the entity fulfills its intellectual property obligations contained in the agreements to which it is a party.
8. Maintaining complete records of intellectual property that has been registered and disclosed.
9. Ensuring that all relevant staff in the unit receive the necessary training in areas related to intellectual property protection and management.
10. 1Providing awareness programs for university employees to raise the awareness of the importance of intellectual property rights.
11. Creating and managing an IP recognition and incentive program.
12. Preparing a detailed report of the activities and tasks performed during the year in the form of an annual report, and submitting it to the Advisory Council to monitor progress in the activities and tasks of the department / office, and to overcome any obstacles that may be encountered, while submitting proposals for continuous development for the benefit of current and future projects, initiatives, and activities of the department.
13. Any other task that the university deems necessary to ensure the protection of its intellectual property interests.

B. Advisory Council

The university establishes an intellectual property department / office at the Research and Initiative Center. This department / office handles all matters related to intellectual property, in accordance with this policy. The tasks are as follows:

1. One of the vice presidents of the university, president.
2. Director of the Financial Department, member.
3. Director of Legal Affairs, member.
4. Executive Director of the Research and Initiatives Center, member.
5. Director of the Intellectual Property Office / Department, member.
6. Teaching staff, member.
7. Teaching staff, member.
8. Researcher, member.

The members of the Advisory Council shall be appointed by a decision of the University President for a year subject to renewal.

The Advisory Council shall undertake its tasks based on rules and procedures proposed by the office, that are issued by a decision of the University President, which include the rules, procedures, and decisions of the Council.

Terms of Reference of the Advisory Council:

In addition to the powers and tasks assigned to the Advisory Council in this policy, it undertakes the following tasks:

1. Presenting regulations and proposals to the university president on issues related to inventions and intellectual property.
2. Considering complaints and grievances related to this policy and its topics, and expressing opinions or recommendations about them.
3. Examining the annual report on intellectual property, submitted by the Research and Initiative Center, and any other related reports, and expressing an opinion on them.
4. Considering any recommendations on amending this policy, the rules, procedures, and plans based on it, and expressing an opinion on them.
5. Studying the feasibility of obtaining any strategic technologies for the university, owned by others through intellectual property, whether by purchasing or licensing them, and giving recommendations regarding them.
6. Recommending the distribution of the revenues of any assigned or licensed intellectual property to non-inventors, as suggested by this policy.
7. Recommending the disbursement of incentive rewards to innovators and those with scientific achievements of the university employees, according to the rules proposed by the Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department of the Research and Initiative Center, and the relevant rules and regulations.
8. Any other tasks assigned by the University President in relation to intellectual property.

First: Disclosure

The faculty member, staff and all those governed by this policy shall not disclose the ideas and inventions they come up with before notifying the Intellectual Property Department/ Office at the Research and Initiative Center, and obtaining written approval from it. Those governed by this policy must realize that early public disclosure may lead to the loss of its intellectual property protection rights, therefore, all possible efforts must be made in this regard, except with legal justifications stipulated in this policy. Researchers and inventors as well must take prior permission from the university’s intellectual property Department/Office, before publicly disclosing any potential intellectual property outside the university, whether in scientific conferences, international forums, or public exhibitions. Accordingly, the Intellectual Property Department / Office deals with the disclosure of inventions as following:

A. Disclosure Procedures

1. The Intellectual Property Department / Office shall prepare the necessary forms of disclosure, whether electronic or papers, and explain them clearly to the discloser, so that he/she can fill them in easily.
2. University staff are committed to full disclosure, within the period specified by the Intellectual Property Office, of the resulting inventions in a clear and explicit manner that makes them understandable.
3. The Intellectual Property Department / Office shall maintain and document all disclosed information, classify it according to its field, and maintain its confidentiality.

B. Evaluation of the Disclosed Invention

1. The Intellectual Property Department/Office shall evaluate the disclosed invention, in a professional manner recognized in this field, within a period specified by the Office.
2. The Department / Office of Intellectual Property may seek the assistance of technical experts to evaluate the invention, or contract with competent authorities, while taking all means to ensure the confidentiality of the invention.
3. The Intellectual Property Department / Office shall notify the discloser of the evaluation result and the action taken in this regard.
4. If the two parties agree on the outcome of the evaluation, the Intellectual Property Department / Office shall complete the necessary procedures in accordance with this policy.
5. If the parties do not agree, the result of the evaluation and the insights of the two parties shall be referred to the Advisory Council for consideration

Second: Inventions Filing and Registration Strategies

First: Registration of Protection Application

The university seeks to protect its intellectual property rights of patentable inventions whenever it is qualified. The basic elements shall be available to obtain a patent according to the following:

1. The Intellectual Property Department / Office of the Research and Initiative Center shall conduct a preliminary assessment of the invention and its patentability, in terms of novelty, clarity, and industrial applicability
2. If the specialized staff is not available to conduct the initial evaluation of the invention and prepare the technical reports related to its filing and registration: The University shall seek the help of outside parties to do this, while working on training and qualifying the staff in the university to do it, and allocating rewards related to this work.
3. The university shall set a specific strategy for the geographical registration scope of the invention according to its economic value, the places where it is used, and the positive effects expected from its registration.
4. The Intellectual Property Unit shall seek to benefit from the international registration of the application through the PCT system that is supervised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), provided that the application does not qualify for the national stage except after obtaining the international examination report, and setting the strategy specified in paragraph (b) above.
5. The university shall seek to register patents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia first to benefit from the right of priority.
6. The university shall seek to register the intellectual property to which it is a party in countries that have an economic interest in registering it, and appoint the appropriate patent attorney or agent in the country, and follow up on all fees and charges prescribed in this regard.
7. The university shall pay the registration fees for the patent applications it owns, and if the invention is joint, the financial expenses will be shared with the other party, according to the percentage of ownership established between the two parties in the contract, or according to what is agreed upon. If another party is the rightful owner to apply for the patent, then he/she shall pay the prescribed fees, and the university shall not bear any expenses in this regard, except if it is within the support programs provided by the university, in which case the conditions of the support programs apply to him/her.

Second: Authorized Entities for Patents Registration and Protection Document Grants

As part of the university's endeavor to protect its inventions, and in accordance with the filing strategy prepared by the Intellectual Property Department / Office, and approved by the Advisory Council, the university shall deal with the following entities as official registration offices for patent applications:

1. The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property is the official governmental body authorized to receive and register all protection applications of registrable intellectual property, which are stipulated in the national regulations related to intellectual property, when it is desired to protect the invention within the geographical scope of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. International government patent offices, when it is desired to protect the invention within the geographical scope of those countries.
3. Through the PCT international filing system, and the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property is an authorized body to receive international filing applications through the PCT system.

Third: The Patent Application Procedures of any Intellectual Property Registration Office

1. The inventor/inventors, classifier - innovator- author submit a patent and intellectual property registration application according to the approved form on the university's website, which includes:
• Invention or software disclosure form.
• A clear description of the invention, including illustrations.
• Signing the declaration.
2. Each patent application must be given a serial number according to the date of its receipt, and the applicant shall be given the receipt.
3. Initial research shall be conducted on previous inventions and pervious technology, to ensure that the research is not repeated.
4. The technical and market study shall be conducted by specialists in cooperation with the inventor or innovator.
5. The results of the study shall be presented to the Research and Initiative Center, and a decision shall be taken based on them.
6. If the application is accepted, the university shall determine through the Advisory Council, and after the approval of the President, the estimated budget required to complete the registration procedures.
7. If the application is rejected, the applicant shall be notified, and the reasons for the decision shall be explained.
8. The applicant may file a grievance against the decision by submitting it to the Advisory Council, within a period of 60 (sixty days) of the notification date of the decision.

First: The University Inventions

The inventions and innovations that the university staff come up with, whether faculty members, employees, collaborators, visiting professors, or students belong to the university with their right to obtain appropriate compensation determined by the university in accordance with this policy, based on paragraph (b) of Article 6 of the patent system, layout designs of integrated circuits, plant varieties and industrial models.

According to the following conditions:

• If the invention is a result of the assignment of one or more of the university staff, under the full guidance, supervision, and management of the university.
• If the invention is a result of the use of university resources and capabilities in developing the invention course of work.
• If the invention is a result of the university’s staff work during official working hours or study period, and in their exact field of specialization.
• If the invention is a result of a research grant, contract or agreement with the university, according to which the rights are transferred to it. This is considered a general condition of the university in terms of the grants and agreements signed with it, and it is not required to be mentioned in every grant, contract or agreement. Also, the university, based on its desire, may assign the intellectual property rights resulting from this invention to whoever invented it if the university has no interest in it, based on a recommendation of the Research and Initiative Center, accepted by the Advisory Council, and approved by the University President.

Second: Inventions Made Through Partnership Agreements

In the event that the university enters into a joint venture, the inventions arising from that partnership shall be dealt with as follows:

The university and the partner must determine the percentage or scope of the previous intellectual property related to the joint venture before entering into any partnership. The previous intellectual property is not affected by the partnership contract. The university may license / obtain a license for it from the partner if it is necessary to implement the project, and both agree upon the type and the conditions of the license. The ownership of the inventions reached during the partnership shall be according to the following:

1. The invention or work entirely made by the university's employees shall be the property of the university and shall be treated as if it was made by the university alone if the partner's resources provided for the project are not used.
2. The invention or work entirely made by one of the affiliates of the partner shall be the property of the partner, and shall be treated as if it was made by the partner alone if the university resources provided are not used.
3. The university shall seek to enter into a co-ownership agreement with the partner for the above- mentioned inventions or to obtain exclusive licensing rights under the provisions of the partnership agreement, and specify the obligations and share of each party: Based on the financial and technical contribution of the two parties to the project.
4. The invention or work made jointly by the university employees and one of the affiliates of the partner shall be the joint property of both, and the invention shall be managed according to the provisions of the partnership agreement between the parties.

Third: Invention of the Employee while on Official Mission at a Host Facility:

The obligations and rights of an employee of the university (inventor) while on an official mission in a host facility are the same as if these inventions were made at the university, taking into account the provisions of any agreement concluded between the university and the owners of the host facility.

Fourth: Contractor's Invention:

The same provisions related to the university's employees shall be applied to the university's contractors, taking into account any special provision within these regulations.

Fifth: The invention of the Visiting Professor and the Resident Student:

1. The visiting professor and the resident student shall be obligated to disclose to the university any previous obligations that they may have to other parties regarding the ownership of the invention and disclosure, and these obligations are referred to in their residence agreement.
2. The same provisions relating to university employees shall be applied to the visiting professor and the resident student, taking into account any special provision within these regulations.

Sixth: Beneficiary’s Invention:

1. The agreement concluded by the university with the beneficiary shall regulate the rights and duties of both parties to the agreement in a way that does not contradict with this policy and relevant regulations.
2. If the agreement concluded by the university with the beneficiary provides for the personalization of the ownership of the invention to the beneficiary, then the same agreement must grant the university an exclusive right free of charge for a reasonable period of time in order to obtain a license for the invention based on reasonable conditions within the field of use and in areas of importance to the university, and this shall apply to other types of intellectual property.

Seventh: National Security Inventions

The university’s inventions related to national security shall be subjected to the provisions of the Patents Law, Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties, and Industrial Models issued by Royal Decree No. (M/27) on 05/29/1425AH, and amended by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 536 on 10/19/1439 AH.

First: Obligations of the University Employees’ Inventors:

1. Determining the inventions made by them during the implementation of research grants funded by the university, or research related to research projects with students, or inventions that were produced using the university's resources and laboratories, and disclosing them to the university.
2. Assigning all of the ownership rights of those inventions to the University.
3. Fully cooperating with the university's Intellectual Property Department/Office, providing it with all required information, and adhering to the procedures and conditions it determines in accordance with this policy.
4. Taking all necessary measures to avoid disclosing information related to these inventions to third parties, in any way that would jeopardize the university's ability to obtain patent protection, and fully cooperating with the university in subsequent efforts to protect those inventions.

Second: Rights of the University Employees’ Inventors:

University employees have the following rights regarding the inventions invented by them:

1. Recognizing their role as inventors, and this recognition shall not be announced unless his/her invention is disclosed to the public.
2. The right to obtain a special reward estimated by the Advisory Council, based on the nature of the work of the person who invented it and the economic importance of the invention.
3. If the university assigns the invention or licenses it to a third party in return for money, the inventor shall have the right to obtain a share of that financial consideration, and the Advisory Council may determine those shares according to what it deems appropriate.
4. The income due to the inventor under this article shall be paid annually, starting within a period not exceeding six months after the end of the first full Gregorian year of receipt of the income by the university.
5. When the compensation obtained by the university in return for the assignment or licensing of the invention of any inventor is an ownership stake in a facility, then the compensation due to the employee is an amount that reflects the fair percentage of the financial value of the university’s share in the facility, as determined by the university in accordance with this policy, and by a decision of the University President, and based on the recommendation of the Advisory Council. The determination and payment shall be made within a year of receiving the ownership share by the university, if that facility is found to be unsuccessful; or of a higher or lower value during that period, the University may take this additional information into account.
6. If there are many employees of the university contributing to a specific invention, their rights according to this article shall be divided fairly among them, which shall be determined by a decision of the University President, and upon the recommendation of the Advisory Council. In addition, the size of each employee’s contribution to the invention shall be taken into account at the time of dividing the dues.

The rights of the employee stipulated in this article shall continue regardless of the subsequent changes in the employment status, even after their death.

First: Public policies for dealing with the copyright of literary works

1. Copyright registration shall not be required in any country that is a member of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. The date of publication or installation on a medium for the work shall be the date of commencement of protection for literary works, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
2. The literary works made by the university's employees and prepared for academic purposes at the university shall be considered its property.
3. Moral rights shall be considered an inherent right for those who authored the literary work, and the university shall recognize the right of its employees who make any literary work.
4. The university shall acknowledge and support the rights of its members of the faculty, staff, students, and visitors to publish their scientific works, provided that the intellectual property Department/ Office first approves any scientific work that may reveal any intellectual property that has potential economic effects.
5. Fair use: The University shall have the right to use literary works for the purposes of research and education of the university in accordance with the exceptions and rules of fair use recognized in copyright systems, without prejudice to copyright. The Saudi copyright protection system has made the following exceptions:
1. Copying the work for personal use, except for computer software, audio and audio-visual works.
2. Citing paragraphs of that work in another, provided that the citation is in line with custom, and that it is to the extent justified by the desired goal. Also, provided that the source and the name of the author are mentioned in the work to which the citation is to be cited. This also applies to press abstracts taken from newspapers and periodicals.
3. Using the work for educational purposes, as an illustration within the limits of the desired goal, or photocopying one or two copies for public libraries, or non-commercial documentation centers, under the following conditions:
• It shall not be commercial or for-profit.
• The copy shall be limited to the activities’ needs.
• It shall not harm the material benefit of the work.
• The work has been executed, or that its versions have been lost or damaged.
4. Transferring or copying articles published in newspapers and periodicals on current topics, or broadcast works of a similar nature, provided that the source is clearly stated, and the name of the author, if any.
5. Copying any broadcast work that can be seen or heard on the occasion of presenting current events, by means of still or moving photography, provided that this is within the limits of the goal to be achieved, with the necessity of clearly indicating the source.
6. Copying speeches, lectures, judicial pleadings, or other similar works publicly known to the public, if the copying was done by the media, with the name of the author clearly mentioned, and the author may reserve the right to publish these works in the manner he/she deems appropriate.
7. Producing temporary recordings by broadcasting organizations, by their own means, without harming the copyrights - in one or more copies of any licensed protected work, provided that all copies shall be destroyed within a period not exceeding a year from the date of their preparation, or a longer period approved by the author. A copy of this recording may be kept in official archives, if it is a unique documentary recording.
8. Playing, acting, performing, or presenting any work after it has been published by state teams, public legal entities, or school theaters, as long as the percussion or performance does not result in any direct or indirect financial outcome.
9. Transferring short excerpts from previously published works, drawings, pictures, designs, or maps, to textbooks prepared for educational curricula, or to books on history, literature, and the arts, provided that the transfer is limited to the extent necessary, and that the name of the work and the author are mentioned.
10. Taking new photos of any previously photographed item or work, and publishing those photos, even if the new photos were taken in the same place and under the same circumstances in which the previous photos were taken.
11. Transferring parts of scientific articles and works by research institutions for their internal purposes, or to fulfill the requirements of those who prepare studies and research with the source mentioned.
12. Copying one backup copy of computer software for people who own an original copy, in order to protect the original produced from it, while keeping the original copy with the user to present it when requested.

Second: Economic Rights of Literary Works

1. Taking into account the provisions of each of the Kingdom's regulations, international agreements to which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a party, or agreements to which the University is a party, all rights of economic works shall be owned by the University, including electronic ones, prepared by the University's employees, consultants or contractors, in the course of their work, or in the course of the work they perform for the university, or those prepared by visitors, or resident students during their time at the university.
2. The University may, through the Advisory Council and after the approval of the University President, assign its rights to the innovative works created by its employees, license their use, or exploit them according to an agreement concluded by the University with the assignee or licensee, so that the agreement regulates the rights and duties of the parties in a way that does not conflict with this policy and related regulations.
3. The agreements on assignment of university rights in innovative works, licensing their use, or exploiting them, shall be subjected to the Advisory Council review before being approved.

Third: Works Created by Partnership:

In the case that the university enters into a partnership to create a work, the works resulting from that partnership shall be dealt with according to the following:

1. The work entirely made by the university's employees shall be the property of the university and shall be treated as if it was made by the university alone if the partner's resources provided for the project are not used.
2. The work entirely made by one of the affiliates of the partner shall be the property of the partner, and shall be treated as if it was made by the partner alone if the university resources provided are not used.
3. The university shall seek to enter into a co-ownership agreement with the partner for the above-mentioned works, or to obtain exclusive licensing rights under the provisions of the partnership agreement, and the obligations and share of each party shall be determined based on the material and technical contribution of the two parties to the project.
4. The work that is jointly created by a university employee, and one of the affiliates of the partner, shall be the joint property of both, and the work shall be managed in accordance with the provisions of the partnership agreement between the parties.
5. The university's share of the net cumulative licensing income of the joint work shall be distributed, given that it was done by the university alone.

The University recognizes and approves the rights of its employees to publish their scientific works, provided that the Intellectual Property Unit shall first authorizes any scientific work that may disclose any intellectual property and has potential economic effects, after ensuring that all legal measures are taken to protect intellectual property rights, and also ensure that there are no any potential economic risks from publishing.

Based on the above, the University adopts the following policies regarding copyright:

1. The university seeks to provide the vast majority of the university's research outputs related to literary works directly to the public in general, by publishing in magazines, or by electronic publishing, and encouraging researchers to publish in the event that the published works do not include any information of economic value that may be affected by their publication without protecting them in a way that guarantees their economic rights.
2. In the event of a possibility that the publication may reveal confidential information, or cause the loss of intellectual property resulting from the research, the Intellectual Property Unit must consider disclosure forms and not authorize their publication before protecting the intellectual property, for example through:
1. Educating university employees and those of similar status of the need to submit a patent application before scientific publication, which may include patentable ideas.
2. Recommending to the advisory board of the Intellectual Property Department/Office a request to delay the publication in order to accommodate ideas that are patentable, or have economic value, as confidential information or otherwise, according to what the Intellectual Property Office deems appropriate.
3. The university seeks to publish information that can be published regularly, and facilitate the access to those interested, in order to enhance knowledge exchange.
4. The author's scientific research must be original, by the author himself, and must comply with the copyright protection regulations.
5. University employees are obligated to disclose the articles and research they wish to publish according to the forms or mechanisms prepared by the Intellectual Property Department/Office
6. The University may determine the platform, medium, or scientific journal through which the research is published via the advisory board and after the approval of the university president.
7. If the Intellectual Property Management Unit / Office does not agree to the publication, the research’s author will be notified, and he/she may complain to the Advisory Council.
8. The Intellectual Property Management Unit / Office undertakes the task of reviewing articles and research that university employees wish to publish, and ensures that there is no prevention to publish them which may threatens the interests of the university in accordance with this policy.
9. Researchers may publish the results of research in peer-reviewed scientific journals and periodicals with the approval of the Intellectual Property Management Unit / Office without prejudice to the rights of the funding body to publish the final report, or its ownership of any rights resulting from the research, such as patents and others.
10. 1University employees shall be committed when publishing any research in accordance with this policy; referring to the party that funded the research, or facilitated the publication of the research.
11. 1The University recognizes the moral right of authors and researchers to attribute the works that they find, especially the moral rights that are achieved by publishing these works.
12. 1The University reserves the right to print and publish the authored, translated, or verified scientific production for a period of five years, starting from the date of its first publication.
13. 1University publications bear their own logo, title, date of issuance, publishing ownership rights, and the name of the owner of the issuance.

The university may specify some confidential information as a trade secret owned by the university, through the advisory council, after the approval of the university president. In this case, the depositor is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of commercial information and follow the directives issued by the Research and Initiative Center represented by the Intellectual Property Department at the Research and Initiative Center to deal with trade secrets. Trade secrets are also protected without the need to register it in accordance with the Regulation for the Protection of Confidential Commercial Information issued by Ministerial Resolution No. 3818 dated 03/25/1426 AH, meaning that it is protected without any formalities, and the trade secret can be protected for an unlimited period if it is preserved and kept as confidential information. Also considering the provisions of each of the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and international agreements to which the Kingdom is a party, or agreements to which the University is a party.

1. The University may deal with trade secrets with acceptance and authorization, and sets the necessary rules and procedures to protect what these rules classify as trade secrets.
2. The University may, at its own discretion, invest its trade secrets according to an agreement concluded by the university with the licensee, so that the agreement regulates the rights and duties of the parties to the agreement in a way that does not contradict this policy and related regulations.
3. The University's investment agreements for its trade secrets are subject to review by the Advisory Board and the University Vice Presidency for Business Development before being approved.

There are some conditions that must be considered for the information to be a trade secret, and these conditions may differ from one country to another according to the country’s system, hence, some general standards have been established and referred to in Article 39 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) to which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a party therein as follows:

1. The information must be confidential (i.e. not generally known among the public).
2. In order for it to be considered a trade secret, the information must have commercial value.
3. It must have been subject to reasonable steps by the rightful owner of the information to keep it confidential (for example, through confidentiality agreements).

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has developed eight steps that can be taken to preserve and maintain trade secrets, as follows:

1. Develop agreements, policies, procedures and records to establish and document protection.
2. Establish physical and electronic security and confidentiality measures.
3. Risk assessment and prioritization by assigning vulnerabilities to trade secrets.
4. Develop due diligence.
5. Establish an information protection team.
6. Training and capacity building.
7. Monitor and measure efforts.
8. Make corrective actions and continuous improvement of policies and procedures.

1. All scientific and technical data and databases that are developed using the financial or other resources of the University are the property of its owners, unless specified otherwise in an agreement, and are managed as if they were patentable inventions.
2. The University may sell, license, use or exploit the data or databases it owns taking into account any financial rights of others in those data or databases, the amounts collected from the sale or license are transferred to the university and are considered part of its revenues.
3. The university sets the necessary rules and procedures for information management through modern technical means, documents information received or originating within the university, preserves it, and retrieves it in a timely manner, to be used to support decision-making. In addition. It preserves the historical sequence of any procedure, for the purposes of the library, databases, studies, research, or publishing, as well as for investment.

The University seeks to enhance the benefit from the portfolio of intellectual assets in its possession, or those that it has the ability to dispose of, according to agreements with another party in accordance with the tasks of the Intellectual Property Management Unit / Office at the Research Center, and in partnership with the Business Development and Investment Agency of the University in exploiting and marketing the products and intellectual property assets of the University.

Therefore, the university takes into account the implementation of marketing and exploitation operations to protect the interests of the university, its employees, students, and visitors, and to preserve the university's rights to use intellectual property for educational and research purposes.

Taking into consideration each of the following:

1. Give priority in marketing in order to achieve the application of invention products and intellectual property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, taking into account any financial rights of the inventors and other compilers and intellectual property rights holders, the amounts collected from marketing shall be transferred to the university and considered part of its revenues.
2. Use intellectual property in a way that serves the public interest.
3. Ensure that intellectual property assets will be developed and offered to the market as useful goods and services
4. The University is keen not to neglect or ignore intellectual property assets, or use them in any illegal or immoral way.
5. The University seeks to market intellectual property in a way that promotes local economic development and encourages creativity and innovation by employees and students.

As part of the university's endeavor to enhance the benefit of its intellectual assets, it does the following:

1. The university seeks to exploit the intellectual assets it owns, whether on its own or in partnership with another party, in accordance with general practices in leasing and marketing intellectual property products.
2. The university may exploit the intellectual property itself, or through a company specialized in this field.
3. The unit/office of the Intellectual Property Department shall follow up the work related to the exploitation and marketing of intellectual property on behalf of the university, and to conclude agreements and license the intellectual assets of the university. It shall also carry out the marketing of intellectual property according to the following methods as it deems to be of interest to it:
• Licensing to another party, in order to exploit intellectual property, where the license can be in the form of an exclusive license, or a non-exclusive license, according to the conditions agreed upon by the two parties, and the university seeks to be a priority in licensing national startups.
• Establishment of intellectual property marketing companies. The university seeks, if its regulation permits, to establish a company for the purpose of marketing intellectual property. The inventor and the university may own shares in the company with any third party (the investor), at rates to be negotiated.

Financial returns:

Through this policy, the University seeks to motivate inventors, authors, and other stakeholders to participate in innovation, by sharing with them the financial returns obtained by the entity from intellectual property marketing, according to what is stated in this policy. Revenue Account for Distribution: The calculation of total IP revenue, IP expenditure and net IP revenue shall be in accordance with the following rules:

1. Calculation of total intellectual property revenues. Total intellectual property revenues are defined as:

“all revenues received by the organization for the commercialization of corporate intellectual property before any cost refunds or deductions for intellectual property expenses”

These include, but are not limited to: direct sale of intellectual property, license fees received, evaluation fees received, advance payments, royalty payments received, profit share received, profits received, direct sale of products or services.

2. Intellectual property costs and expenses

“Intellectual property expenses” is defined as “all expenses incurred by the organization in administering intellectual property, for which the total intellectual property revenue is received” and includes, but is not limited to: expenses paid to third parties insurance protection, preservation and enforcement of intellectual property, such as expenses patent and litigation costs incurred by the university in licensing/assigning intellectual property, including marketing costs, negotiating contracts, and drafting costs.

3. Calculate net intellectual property revenue

The University must maintain accurate and transparent documentation of the intellectual property expenditures incurred by a particular intellectual property, and the university is entitled to cover all intellectual property expenditures incurred as described above, so the “net intellectual property revenue” is calculated as the total intellectual property revenue minus the intellectual property expenditure.

4. Shared intellectual property

When the intellectual property is shared between the university and another party, the total intellectual property revenues received by the university are shared according to a contractual formula agreed upon in advance between the parties. After that, the total intellectual property revenues received by the university and the net intellectual property revenues are determined.
The revenues are divided according to the second item of Chapter Five in the current policy and taking into account the items below the rights of inventors and individual authors are calculated from the financial returns obtained by the university resulting from the exploitation of rights in the intellectual property concerned which are individually created in accordance with this policy.
Any remaining net revenue is distributed to the University and used at the discretion of the Research and Initiative Center Intellectual Property Management Office and approval of the Advisory Board.
In the event of more than one inventor or author, the financial royalties allocated for payment to the inventors or authors shall be divided equally between them unless the participants unanimously agree otherwise in writing in accordance with this policy.
In the event of the death of the beneficiary, such payments shall continue to his successors in interest, estates or heirs to the extent permitted by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The university may purchase property rights in an invention or other types of intellectual property or license its use or exploitation, according to an agreement concluded by the university with the owner of the rights or the owner of the right in it, so that the agreement regulates the rights and duties of the parties to the agreement in a manner that does not conflict with this policy and related regulations. Agreements to purchase property rights in an invention or other types of intellectual property, or to license their use or exploitation, are also subject to review by the Advisory Council prior to approval.

The University seeks to motivate its employees to innovate and invent, by setting incentives for inventors and owners of innovations, with the aim of encouraging the generation of intellectual property, by disbursing financial rewards based on the recommendation of the Advisory Board, and the approval of His Excellency the University President, according to the conditions and controls recommended by a unit/office Intellectual property management of the Advisory Council, approved by the University Council. The rewards received by university employees can be summed up to:

• Disclosure Reward: The discloser receives a remuneration determined by the Advisory Board for submitting a disclosure form for an invention eligible for a patent.
• Patent Excellence Award: Inventors with the highest number of patents registered in the name of the university receive a reward.
• Publication reward: The owner of the disclosed literary work receives a reward for publishing the literary work.
• Reward for submitting a patent application: the inventor gets a reward when any patent application is submitted through the university, and the reward for the first application to be submitted is the same as the invention.
• Reward for obtaining a patent: After submitting a patent application, which may take the Patent Department several years to ensure that the conditions for patent entitlement are met, and in the event that a patent is granted, the inventor receives a reward for the first patent obtained for the same invention.

1. Violation of the provisions of this policy shall be dealt with in accordance with the regular procedures followed at the university, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the applicable laws and regulations.
2. This policy and its provisions are subject to and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the event of any dispute or claim arising out of or related to any provision of this policy or a breach thereof, these disputes shall be resolved amicably between the two parties, and in the event that this dispute is not settled, either of the two parties refer to the competent authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ensuring that conflicts of interest or liabilities are properly managed is critical to minimizing legal and reputational risks and demonstrating the integrity of university and university personnel. Below are some guidelines that may help university employees to avoid falling into such conflicts referred to above:

1. University employees and others acting on their behalf must avoid moral, legal, financial or other conflicts of interest in licensing technology and consulting projects, and they must ensure that their participation in technology transfer activities and interests does not conflict with their obligations to the University or its welfare.
2. University employees and affiliates who work on any research project with an external party must sign a contract before executing the project, and the Innovation Center must be informed about that project and any potential patent from it must be disclosed directly.
3. The Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department must educate and increase the awareness of university employees about the areas in which conflicts of interest may occur and put in place procedures to identify and avoid them or manage them properly.
4. University employees must immediately report all potential and current cases of conflict of interest to the Innovation Center, as it will be responsible for resolving the conflict or reaching a satisfactory solution for all concerned parties.

The university respects the intellectual property rights of other entities, and takes all necessary precautions to prevent infringement, whether spontaneous or deliberate, of its employees. The Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department of the Innovation Center exercises the role of follow-up and necessary verification of the commitment of the university and all its employees to respect the intellectual property rights of other entities, and then to prevent legal problems and their financial implications, public relations and the university's reputation with other parties. To this end, it takes the following:

1. Report to the Advisory Council any infringements made or potential to intellectual property belonging to other entities within a period not exceeding (20) days of receiving it.
2. Communicate with any party within the university in the event of any suspicion of abuse and access the necessary documents and information to verify it and take the necessary measures to stop it.
3. Submit to the Advisory Council the penalties due in accordance with the penalties approved by the university in this regard.
4. Carry out the necessary awareness programs for university employees on the need to respect the intellectual property rights of other entities and the consequent negative effects on the university in the event that a violation of the rights of others is proven.

1. The Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department of the Research and Initiative Center is committed to effective awareness of the university's intellectual property policy, and to clarify how the university deals with every individual with regard to intellectual property.
2. This policy is subject to periodic review every three years from the date of its entry into force by the Intellectual Property Office / Department of the Research and Initiative Center, and any recommendations regarding any amendments or additions to this policy are submitted.
3. Faculty members who engage in outside professional services permitted by the University, including but not limited to consulting for private and public firms, have the responsibility to ensure that those activities and any related contractual arrangements do not conflict with this applicable policy and provisions applicable contractual provisions, including those relating to intellectual property.
4. This bylaw comes into effect fifteen days after the date of its approval by the University Council.
5. This policy shall be interpreted in accordance with the interpretation of the Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department of the Research and Initiative Center at the university, after the approval of the University Council to authorize the Research and Initiative Center in this regard. on this interpretation.
6. The provisions of these Regulations shall apply to the improvements, modifications or additions made by the depositor to the intellectual property that was registered through the Intellectual Property Unit / Office / Department of the Research and Initiative Center, after the issuance of the protection document throughout the legal protection period of the intellectual property, unless there is an agreement otherwise.
7. Employees are bound by all provisions of this policy once approved, provided they are notified of it and published on the university's website.
8. This policy is published on the official website of the university after its approval by the University Council.
9. The competent unit shall educate the target audience with this policy periodically, starting from the date of issuance of the policy.