JEDDAH, 10 June 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called for joint international efforts to end Israeli occupation of Arab territories and establish an independent Palestinian state on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, also emphasized the need to strengthen global efforts to fight terrorism and pledged the Kingdom’s all-out support for such efforts.
Addressing the Council of Ministers in Riyadh, the crown prince highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to root out terrorism and commended the achievements of security officers in tracking down suspected terrorists.
Prince Abdullah noted the cooperation extended by both Saudis and expatriates toward the efforts to strengthen the country’s security and stability.
Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy said the Cabinet also endorsed the new copyright law, which replaces the old law dating back to 1990.
The new law, which comes into effect six months after publication in the official gazette, protects original works of literature, arts and sciences in different forms including books, lectures and computer programs.
“Judicial decisions and daily reports carried by newspapers, magazines and radios are exempted from the law,” the minister pointed out. The law considers folklore as a property of the state.
The new copyright law is significant, as it will combat piracy of computer programs and other original works.
The Culture and Information Ministry’s campaign against violators of copyright laws has already paid dividends. According to a recent study, the Kingdom made revenues worth SR3.3 billion ($880 million) and created 12,000 new jobs in the information technology sector alone as a result of the campaign.
The study said that piracy of computer programs dropped by 27 percent last year, reflecting positively on the information technology market.
Muhammad Al-Dhabaan, legal consultant of the Federation of Computer Program Producers in Riyadh, said copyright piracy would obstruct economic development and result in the layoff of thousands of jobs.
He said piracy of computer programs was causing more than $11 billion in losses worldwide.
The Cabinet also approved an air transport service agreement signed with Cyprus on April 22, 2002.
It appointed Dr. Saleh ibn Muhammad Al-Namlah deputy minister for external information at the Ministry of Culture and Information and Dr. Saleh ibn Hussein Al-Awaji deputy minister for electricity affairs.
