KUWAIT: The National Assembly has unanimously agreed during a session yesterday to enact a law on copyright ownership, and to refer it to the government. Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah thanked the parliament for its agreement to approve the law, saying it will help showcase Kuwait’s civil and cultural image. “Kuwait has now joined a series of regional and international agreements on the rights of intellectual ownership,” an explanatory note to the law said.
Moreover, the note explained that the law covers 45 items and encompasses “all literary, artistic and scientific works irrespective of its form.” Meanwhile, the note clarified that there are cases where the law is not applicable, such as national folklore, which is owned, sponsored and supported by the nation. The note also explained that the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) has the right to claim a literary work in the event of the death of the author of the work. The law also supports full legal action in cases dealing with copyright infringement. – KUNA
