IP Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret terms you'll meet when managing intellectual property — in English and Arabic.
Annuity
A recurring official fee paid to keep a granted patent in force; if the payment window is missed, the patent lapses. Often used interchangeably with renewal or maintenance fees.
Assignment
The legal transfer of ownership of a patent, trademark, copyright, or other IP right from one party to another, typically recorded with the relevant IP office.
Claim (patent claim)
The numbered statements at the end of a patent application that define the precise legal boundaries of the invention being protected.
Copyright
The automatic legal right granted to creators of original literary, artistic, musical, or software works, protecting how an idea is expressed rather than the idea itself.
Design patent / industrial design
Protection for the ornamental appearance of a product, such as its shape, pattern, or surface decoration, rather than its function.
Divisional application
A separate patent application "split off" from an original filing, used when it covers more than one invention.
Docketing
The disciplined tracking of every deadline, action, and document across an IP portfolio — office action responses, renewals, priority windows — so no right lapses by accident.
Domain name dispute
A legal or administrative process for resolving conflicts between a registered domain name and an earlier trademark right.
Due diligence (IP)
The process of investigating and verifying the ownership, validity, and value of a party's IP assets, typically ahead of a transaction such as an investment, acquisition, or licensing deal.
Fair use / fair dealing
A legal doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, or education.
First-to-file
A patent system, used in most countries, in which rights are granted to the first applicant to file for an invention rather than the first to invent it.
Freedom to operate (FTO)
An analysis to determine whether a product or process can be made, used, or sold without infringing valid IP rights held by others.
GCC Patent Office
A regional office established by the Gulf Cooperation Council to receive a single patent application covering its six member states, operating alongside national routes such as filing directly with SAIP in Saudi Arabia.
Geographical indication (GI)
A sign identifying a product whose quality or reputation is tied to its place of origin — such as coffee, dates, or textiles named after a region — protecting that name against misuse.
Grace period
A limited window after a public disclosure of an invention during which an applicant can still file a patent application without losing novelty.
Infringement
The unauthorized use, reproduction, or exploitation of a protected IP right without the owner's consent.
Intellectual property (IP)
Creations of the mind — inventions, brands, designs, and creative works — that are legally protected and can be owned, licensed, or transferred like other assets.
IP audit
A systematic review of an organization's IP assets to confirm ownership, identify protection gaps, and assess portfolio value and risk.
IP portfolio
The complete collection of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other IP assets owned or controlled by an organization.
IP securitization
Raising financing backed by the future cash flows of IP assets — royalties, license fees, or brand-driven revenues — rather than physical collateral.
IP valuation
The process of estimating the financial worth of an IP asset, often required for licensing, financing, litigation, or M&A purposes.
Licensing
An agreement granting another party permission to use an IP asset under defined terms, usually in exchange for a fee or royalty, without transferring ownership.
Madrid Protocol
An international treaty allowing trademark owners to seek protection in multiple member countries through a single application filed with WIPO.
Moral rights
A creator's non-economic rights in a work — to be credited as its author and to object to harmful distortion — which in many jurisdictions remain with the creator even after economic rights are sold.
Nice Classification
The international system that divides all goods and services into 45 classes — 34 for goods, 11 for services — for trademark registration, administered by WIPO under the Nice Agreement and updated regularly.
Novelty
A core requirement for patentability — an invention must not have been publicly known or disclosed anywhere in the world before the filing date.
Office action
A formal written communication from a patent or trademark office raising objections or requesting clarification during examination of an application.
Office action response
The applicant's formal reply to an office action, addressing the examiner's objections through argument, claim amendments, or supporting evidence, usually within a strict deadline.
Opposition
A formal procedure allowing third parties to challenge a trademark application or granted patent within a set window, arguing the right should not be registered or should be revoked.
Patent
An exclusive legal right granted for a new, useful, and non-obvious invention, allowing the owner to prevent others from making, using, or selling it for a limited period.
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
An international agreement that allows applicants to file a single patent application recognized in over 150 countries as a first step toward national filings.
Patent family
The group of related patent applications and granted patents, filed in different countries, that all stem from the same original invention.
Prior art
Any evidence — publications, existing patents, products, or public disclosures — that an invention was already known before a patent application was filed.
Priority date
The earliest filing date an applicant can claim for an invention, used to determine novelty and precedence over later filings.
Provisional application
A lower-cost, informal U.S. patent filing that establishes an early priority date and gives the applicant 12 months to file a complete application.
RDIA (Research, Development and Innovation Authority)
The Saudi authority that sets national research, development, and innovation priorities and funding programs, shaping how research outputs become protected, commercialized innovation.
Renewal / maintenance fee
A periodic payment required to keep a patent, trademark, or design registration in force.
Royalty
A payment made by a licensee to an IP owner in exchange for the right to use, produce, or sell a protected asset.
SAIP (Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property)
The government body responsible for registering and regulating patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other IP rights in Saudi Arabia.
Trade secret
Confidential business information — such as formulas, processes, or customer data — that provides a competitive advantage and is protected as long as it remains secret.
Trademark
A sign, word, logo, or symbol used to distinguish the goods or services of one business from those of others.
Trademark class (Nice Classification)
One of 45 internationally standardized categories used to group goods and services when filing a trademark application.
Utility model
A form of IP protection, available in some jurisdictions, for functional inventions that may not meet the higher inventive-step threshold required for a full patent.
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
The United Nations agency responsible for administering international IP treaties and services, including the PCT and Madrid Protocol.