Have you found a product bearing your trademark without permission, a store selling a copy of your design, or a former employee exploiting your company’s secrets? At Alfkr Intellectual Property, we provide anti-counterfeiting and IP enforcement in Saudi Arabia, covering trademark counterfeiting and all types of intellectual property rights, from detecting and documenting the infringement, to warning letters, complaints, precautionary measures and litigation. The service is aimed at brand owners, manufacturers, distributors, online stores, content creators and technology companies, and anyone who sees their rights being exploited in the market. We work in both Arabic and English and can assist foreign companies and brand owners with enforcing their rights in Saudi Arabia.
Why Anti-Counterfeiting and IP Enforcement in Saudi Arabia Requires an Organized Response
- Evidence disappears quickly: Pages are deleted and goods are sold or moved, and what you document in the first days determines the strength of your position later.
- The wrong reaction can harm you: Public shaming or threats the law does not permit may backfire on you, and a hasty warning letter may alert the counterfeiter to hide the goods.
- Deadlines are strict: After a precautionary order is issued, the main action must be filed within 20 days, failing which the order may be revoked.
- Every day of delay is a loss: The counterfeiter sells every day, and customers who were confused may not come back.
What We Offer
- Monitoring the market, the internet and social media to detect unlawful use of your trademark, design or content.
- Assessing the infringement, gathering evidence, and preparing documented technical and legal reports.
- Drafting cease-and-desist letters, online platform reports, and infringement complaints to the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP).
- Taking border measures to protect the trademark with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA).
- IP litigation: Representation in infringement cases involving trademarks, copyright, patents and industrial designs, cancellation and revocation actions, and litigation outside the Kingdom through our accredited partner law firms.
- Trade secret protection: Internal policies for safeguarding confidential information, confidentiality agreements for employees, suppliers and partners, and investigating leaks and representing you in related actions.
- Arbitration and mediation to settle disputes without prolonged proceedings.
How We Work With You
- Documentation before any contact: Dated screenshots and links, a test purchase with an invoice, on-site photos, and documents proving your right, such as the registration certificate or proof of authorship and publication date.
- Assessing the position and choosing the route: We identify the type of right, the strength of its basis, the extent of the harm and how urgently the infringement needs to be stopped, then propose a route or a combination of routes.
- The amicable route: A carefully drafted written warning demanding that the infringement stop, products be withdrawn and the supplier be disclosed, where the infringement is limited.
- The administrative and platform route: A trademark or copyright infringement complaint to SAIP, which is a free service, and reports to remove infringing listings from online marketplaces.
- Precautionary measures: Requesting the competent court to seize goods or stop the infringement; the court decides on the request within ten days except in exceptional cases, and may require a guarantee.
- Litigation and compensation: Claiming adequate compensation, which may include the profits made by the infringer, and requesting the destruction of counterfeit goods and the tools used to make them.
- Customs and follow-up: Requesting the suspension of release of counterfeit shipments, and periodic monitoring to prevent the infringement from recurring.
Facing counterfeiting right now? Do not send a warning or post anything before preserving the evidence. Present your case to our team and get a free initial consultation.
Penalties and Deadlines Under the Laws in Force
| Item | Provision and Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Forging a registered mark, imitating it in a misleading manner, or using it in bad faith | Imprisonment from one month to 3 years, and/or a fine from SAR 5,000 to SAR 1,000,000 (Article 42 of the GCC Trademark Law, Royal Decree No. M/51) |
| Knowingly selling counterfeit goods or possessing them for sale | Imprisonment from one month to one year, and/or a fine from SAR 1,000 to SAR 100,000 (Article 42) |
| Detaining counterfeit goods at customs | A request to suspend customs release, with a decision within 7 days, valid for one year or the remaining term of protection, whichever is shorter (Article 38) |
| Precautionary measures | Decision within 10 days, and the main action must be filed within 20 days (Article 40) |
| Copyright infringement | Imprisonment for up to one year, and/or a fine of up to SAR 1,000,000 (Article 47 of the new Copyright Law, Royal Decree No. M/169) |
| Infringement of patents and industrial designs | Cessation of infringement and compensation, and a fine of up to SAR 100,000, doubled for repeat offences (Article 34 of the current law) |
In trademark anti-counterfeiting matters, we build your position on these provisions, which set minimum and maximum limits that the courts apply according to the circumstances of each case, rather than automatically. Trademark and copyright infringement complaints to SAIP are free, while court fees and other government fees are subject to change; our professional fees are separate and we explain them to you before we begin.
Note: On 20 October 2026, the Council of Ministers approved new laws on patents and utility models and on designs, whose texts have not yet been published and which may change the enforcement rules. The current law remains in force until they take effect, so we review the law in force on the day action is taken.
Trade Secret Protection
A trade secret is not registered; it is protected by what you do. Under the Regulations for the Protection of Confidential Commercial Information, protection rests on three cumulative conditions: the information must be secret, it must derive its commercial value from being secret, and its owner must take reasonable measures to keep it secret. The third condition is what defeats many claims, which is why we start with you on internal policies and confidentiality agreements before any leak occurs.
Why Alfkr Intellectual Property?
- Expertise covering all rights: Trademarks, copyright, patents, industrial designs and trade secrets, so we choose the strongest legal basis for your case.
- Technical tools for detecting infringement: We check for content theft using digital analysis tools and provide documented technical reports.
- Inside and outside the Kingdom: We pursue enforcement locally and litigate internationally in coordination with global partners.
- Clarity at every stage: Direct, ongoing communication, detailed reports, and individual attention to every file.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I report a counterfeit product bearing my trademark in Saudi Arabia?
The trademark owner can file a trademark infringement complaint free of charge with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, attaching the registration certificate and evidence of infringement. If the goods are imported, a request can be made to suspend their customs release.
What is the penalty for trademark counterfeiting?
Article 42 of the GCC Trademark Law punishes forgery and misleading imitation with imprisonment from one month to three years and/or a fine from SAR 5,000 to SAR 1,000,000, and knowingly selling counterfeit goods with imprisonment from one month to one year and/or a fine from SAR 1,000 to SAR 100,000.
Can a counterfeiter be stopped before a judgment is issued?
Yes. Article 40 of the GCC Trademark Law allows a request for precautionary measures such as seizing goods and stopping the infringement. The court decides on the request within ten days except in exceptional cases, and the main action must be filed within 20 days.
What compensation can be claimed?
Adequate compensation for direct harm, which may include the profits made by the infringer; the court may rely on the retail price or expert opinion in assessing it, in addition to ordering the destruction of counterfeit goods. Proving the harm is the biggest challenge, so keep everything that evidences it.
Do I need a registered trademark to act against a counterfeiter?
Registration is the strongest basis for most protections under the trademark law, including penalties and precautionary measures, but the law protects well-known marks even if they are not registered in the Kingdom. Copyright, on the other hand, does not require registration at all.
How do I protect my company’s secrets from leaking?
By keeping the information genuinely secret, taking reasonable measures to protect it, such as classifying information and restricting access to it, and documenting this in non-disclosure agreements and clear confidentiality clauses in contracts with employees, suppliers and partners.
Your rights are worth defending. Contact us Sunday to Thursday, from 10 AM to 6 PM, on +966504644436 or by email at info@alfkr.com.
Related Services
- Trademark Registration in Saudi Arabia
- International Trademark Registration (Madrid)
- Copyright Protection and Registration of Works
- Patent Registration in Saudi Arabia
- Industrial Design Registration
The content of this page is general awareness information and does not constitute legal advice on your case.