The protection of intellectual property rights has become even more important with the widespread use of technology and social media platforms.

Technology has made it easier for people to lift any material or artwork and use it without permission, depriving the creators of the work the benefits they are entitled to and, in some cases, not getting credit for their creativity.

It is important to understand that every piece of work has two types of rights: A material right and a moral right. The material right is lifelong and continues to remain in force for 50 years after the death of the owner for the benefit of his or her heirs.

The moral right remains forever and, upon death, it passes automatically to the heirs of an artist or a creative.

The law does not allow the latter to be forfeited for the benefit of another party. However, the material right can be forfeited if an artist agrees through a specified contract.

We notice that many advertising or marketing agencies use the works of artists without their permission, or even individuals use drawings without attributing them to their original owner.

It is necessary to request written permission from artists, whether they are an individual or an entity. It is also important to make sure that the work cannot be used for a purpose other than what has been agreed upon with the artist.

The penalty for using drawings or other creative works includes a fine of up to SR250,000 ($66,660), closure of the violating facility or revoking its license, imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, and defamation through newspapers at the violator’s expense and certainly the removal of the infringement.

As for the private right of the owner of an artwork, he or she can demand financial compensation in proportion to the size of the infringement and for the damage suffered as a result of the illegal use of the piece or artistic work in general.

It is necessary to clarify that the penalties imposed for copyright violations apply to all violations since the year the law was issued - 1989.

With regard to photographs, a specific device or mechanism is not required for the violation to be realized and detected, as the intellectual rights of these photographs include even those taken with a mobile phone. However, we must distinguish here that the infringement of others’ personal photos is governed by other laws and with different penalties. These laws include the Anti-Cyber Crime Law as well as the Electronic Publishing Law.

Perhaps one of the most common illegal practices is sharing video clips and downloading them again through other channels without the permission of the owners, whether through WhatsApp or YouTube.

Certainly, the culture of respecting intellectual property rights will take time to take root. In order to enforce these laws, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property is taking several measures. It is also creating awareness about this issue using different channels.

• Dimah Talal Alsharif is a Saudi lawyer and legal consultant. Twitter: @dimah_alsharif