Qatar has started proceedings against Saudi Arabia at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), accusing it of intellectual property rights violations, Economy Ministry said on Monday.
Part of Qatar's concerns involve the blocking of Qatari broadcaster beIN in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said on its website, and accused Riyadh of refusing to take effective action against the piracy of beIN content in the kingdom.
The Qatar Ministry of Economy and Commerce has announced today the initiation of new proceedings against Saudi Arabia before the World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body, accusing the Kingdom of violating the intellectual property rights of Qatari citizens and entities under international conventions.
In accordance with Article 4 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes, Qatar's Office at the WTO in Geneva submitted a request for formal consultations, including Saudi Arabia's violations against Qatar with respect to the WTO's Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).
“Since June 2017, Saudi Arabia has taken diplomatic, political and economic measures against Qatar. Saudi Arabia's actions represent not only a violation of Qatar's trade rights but also affects the rights of other trading partners. The new dispute focuses on violations with respect to the protection of intellectual property rights in the Kingdom,” the statement from the ministry said.
Of particular concern is the prohibition of the Qatari company – beIN Media Group LLP – by Saudi Arabia from broadcasting its content in the country. Soon after, a sophisticated broadcast pirate named "beoutQ" began the unauthorized broadcast of beIN's copyrighted media content in Saudi Arabia, including through the sale of beoutQ subscriptions and set-top decoder boxes at numerous retail outlets across Saudi Arabia.
Contrary to its obligations under the TRIPS Agreement, Saudi Arabia has, among other things, refused to take any effective action against beoutQ; restricted or otherwise frustrated beIN's ability to pursue civil actions before the Saudi courts; denounced beIN's requests to investigate and prevent the pirate's unauthorized broadcasts; and promoted public gatherings with screenings of beoutQ's unauthorized broadcasts.
H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, stressed that Saudi Arabia's actions in terms of banning Qatari citizens and entities from exercising their basic rights to protect and defend their intellectual property rights before enforcement authorities in the Kingdom is a flagrant violation of Saudi international and moral obligations.
The Minister added that these violations reflect Saudi Arabia's failure to comply with its commitments in terms of protecting copyrights, radio and television broadcasting rights, and trademarks, among other rights, which has caused significant commercial losses for Qatari citizens and entities.