Intellectual Property Rights And Management System In Saudi Arabia - Case Study Example

Intellectual Property Rights And Management System In Saudi Arabia Abstract Intellectual Property (IP) laws grant certain exclusive rights to individuals or organisations for a variety of intangible goods that have been developed or engineered by those respective individuals or organisations. The development of IP laws and regulations is essential for the economic development of high-tech industries, such as software engineering or biotechnology, to name a few, that produce complex goods with high development and design costs and are generally considered to be intellectual property. In order to sustain growth in these fields and encourage international business collaboration, enforcement and administration of existent laws and policies regarding intellectual property are extremely important. Implementation of existing intellectual property laws can be achieved by leveraging the advantages of technology in the form of a web-based Internet Property Rights (IPR) support system, in which users can interact with the administrational agency from a remote location in order to comply with IP regulations. This system has the benefit of allowing administration of IP laws and policies to effectively provide initial screening against duplication, plagiarism, and other issues, without the need for complex paperwork and referencing systems, allowing for improved performance at a significantly lower operating cost. Details for the development and implementation of this system as well as explanation of its unique importance in stimulating industrial growth in Saudi Arabia are included in this report. Contents Intellectual Property Rights And Management System In Saudi Arabia I Abstract I 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Aim of Research 1 1.2 Aims and Objectives 1 1.3 Scope 2 1.4 Project Relevance, Motivations and Challenges 2 1.5 Report Structure 2 2 Intellectual Property Right Support Systems 4 2.1 Why IPR is important 4 2.2 Global Acceptance of IPR 4 2.3 IPR in Saudi Arabia 5 2.4 Supporting Systems 5 2.5 IPR Conflicts 6 3 System Requirements 7 3.1 Requirements Elicitation 7 3.2 Project Plan 7 3.3 Project Overview Diagram 8 3.4 Feasibility Analysis 8 3.4.1 Questionnaire 8 3.4.2 Functional Requirements 9 3.4.3 Non-Functional Requirements 11 4 System Analysis and Design 12 4.1 Risk Analysis 12 4.2 Use Case Diagrams 12 4.3 Web Portal Navigation Structure 14 4.4 Entity Relationship Diagram 14 4.5 Class Diagram 15 4.6 Sequence Diagram 15 4.7 Graphical User Interface Design 16 5 Implementation 18 5.1 Development Environment 18 5.2 Cascading Style Sheet 18 5.3 Input Validation 18 5.4 Security 18 5.5 IPR Violation Identification Algorithm 19 5.6 Usability and Accessibility 20 6 Testing and Evaluation 20 6.1 Testing Methods 20 6.2 Testing Results 20 6.3 Evaluation Methods 21 6.4 Experiments 25 6.4.1 Dataset 25 6.4.2 Setup 25 6.4.3 Outputs 26 6.5 Evaluation of Results 27 6.6 Cost Estimation 27 6.7 Findings 27 7 Conclusion 29 Bibliography 31 Appendix A: Questionnaire 33 Appendix B: Data Sample 33 Appendix C: Test Cases 33 1 Introduction 1.1 Aim of Research The aim of this research is twofold. At an intellectual level, this work seeks to utilise the Internet to provide greater understanding of Intellectual Property laws in both Saudi Arabia and other nations, in order to encourage the growth and development of the software development industry and other high-tech fields. In the process, this research will assess current knowledge and applicability of IP laws and policies. Secondly, this research provides a functional methodology for implementing a system for managing IP laws and policies that will allow for a simple remote user interface and low-cost administration tool for the website. This application will also eliminate paperwork and time investment by providing initial screening against duplication and plagiarism, as well as allowing for additional screening and regulation requirements to be easily implemented. 1.2 Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is the initial design and proposal of a web-based system for IP dissemination, management and administration that will lower the time investment and cost associated with the administration of IP laws and policies, allowing for more timely and effective enforcement of these existent laws and policies with the ultimate objective of increasing the influx of high tech industry in Saudi Arabia. The main objectives of this work are: Conduct research in the area of IP laws availability and management in Saudi Arabia Identify the requirements for building a system that will help the enforcement of IP laws in Saudi Arabia Analyse and design a system based on the specified requirements specification Implement the system prototype Test and evaluate the system with real users 1.3 Scope This report includes a survey of current understanding of IP laws and policies in Saudi Arabia as well as a review of IP laws and policies in countries with high-tech industrial revenues. Functionality and methodologies of the IPR Support System are the original designs of the author. 1.4 Project Relevance, Motivations and Challenges This project is relevant due to the need for IP protection on websites for administrators and users. New software can be tried without fear of theft or misuse. The motivation is many websites want administration based IP protection that can be used affordably. The challenges are introducing this type of technology. Public reception of an IP protection programme could lead to mistrust. The idea of affordable IP protection might seem too perfect to the public. 1.5 Report Structure Intellectual Property Right Support Systems: This chapter will be a review of current and historic trends of IP in Saudi Arabia and internationally. A look will also be taken at the importance of the IPR Support System in helping protect websites. The possibility of the IPR Support System being implemented on a wider base globally will be explored. System Requirements: Analysis of functional and non-functional requirements with implementation and feasibility analysis. The requirements are necessary for administrators and users. Interface of systems must be compatible to the majority of administrators and users. System Analysis and Design: The organization of systems elements and interfaces including risk analysis for the proposed IPR system. Risks include IP theft, programme glitches, and user error. Since this proposed system is new all the risks and solutions must be analysed. Implementation: Review of current and historic trends of IP in Saudi Arabia and internationally as well as the importance of the IPR Support System. Although the focus is on IP in Saudi Arabia, the programme will be implemented on the Internet. This means an international user might interact with the programme. Testing and Evaluation: This chapter will deal with the proposed tests of the IPR systems. It will be evaluation on effectiveness and ease of use. Conclusions: The conclusion would sum up the whole paper. The IPR system findings and recommendations will be given. The possibility of future research will also be explored in this section. 2 Intellectual Property Right Support Systems 2.1 Why IPR is important Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and designs are examples of the many names used to establish Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) internationally. In America, IP accounts for more than 50% of all U.S. exports, and drives 40% of all U.S. economic growth (Global Intellectual Property Center 2009). Additionally, the growing biotechnology market primarily deals in intellectual property, and is likely to become one of the largest technology markets in the next decade (BIO: Biotechnology and Industry Organization Website 2010). Protection of intellectual property, particularly software, is protected by Islamic Fatwa, though protection of other technologies, such as biotechnology goods is not so simple (Taher 2006). In addition, protection of software from piracy will encourage companies to invest in the Kingdom, knowing that their valuable intellectual property is safe in the marketplace of Saudi Arabia (Alosaimi 2008). 2.2 Global Acceptance of IPR According to the Intellectual Property Office of the U.K. (2010), the U.K. has been issuing patents for over 400 years, and now nearly every developed country issues some form of patent for software and technology goods. A 2007 study shows that software piracy rates are increasing globally as PC use in high-piracy countries continues to rise (Business Software Alliance 2007). The most stringent laws in place for protection of intellectual property exist in the US which has one of the lowest piracy rates of only 20%. The UK’s piracy rate is 26%, and China’s is a whopping 82%, of the 108 countries surveyed (Business Software Alliance 2007). 2.3 IPR in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia ranks has a piracy rate of 52%, which could be greatly improved by more efficient handling of intellectual property documents and more stringent enforcement of intellectual property laws (Business Software Alliance 2007). The notion of Intellectual Property has be examined under the context of Islamic legislation, and though conflicting analogies may be drawn from the large wealth of information in the Koran most attempts to provide a solid interpretation of the Sunna have little solid history from which to drawn their conclusions, as technology comparable to ours did not exist 1500 years ago (Assad 2010). The Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a Fatwa declaring software piracy in violation of Islam that is Duty-Based in nature, based in the fact that all Muslims are to honour contracts and seek to better themselves. Software piracy is theft and should be treated as such. The question becomes how do you treat IP with tangible assets? Assad (2010) also questions how to bind IP with contracts like other assets that are tangible. 2.4 Supporting Systems The Saudi Patent Regulations of 1989 established a patent regulation system that released its first patent in 1996, six years after the establishment of the Saudi Patent Office (Info-Prod Research 2010). Patent applications may also be filed and prosecuted in the Arabic language before the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Patent Office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a separate office from the Saudi Arabian Patent Office. Any national application for patent cannot coexist with the GCC application, and must be relinquished at least 90 days before filing. Patents may be granted to either Saudi or foreign citizens, including corporations and companies are secured for fifteen Hijri years from the date of grant, with a possible extension of five years. Additionally, Saudi Arabia does not protect designs, but does offer protection of copyright, trademarks, and service marks (Info-Prod Research 2010). Filing a patent involves completing a complex and thorough packet of information and with an original idea, which must be verified by the Saudi Patent Office (‘Patents’ 2010). The Saudi Patent Office will then mail an approval or rejection for the patent. If the idea has not been registered before an approval will be granted. If the idea is already patented a rejection letter will be sent. 2.5 IPR Conflicts Intellectual Property Rights are indirectly protected by the regulations for combating commercial fraud. Under these regulations, the Saudi authorities may impose a variety of sanctions including inter alia, destruction and seizure of products, or monetary fines not to exceed SR 100,000. Infringement proceedings are heard by the Saudi Grievance Board, and imitated or forged goods may be seized by the Commerce Ministry or its branches (The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf 2010). No known statistics are available at this time. 3 System Requirements 3.1 Requirements Elicitation In order to determine the goals, functions, and constraints of hardware and software system requirements for the implementation of an Intellectual Property Rights support system, steps were taken to ensure feasibility of the plan for both users and administrators. 3.2 Project Plan The IPR support system is designed as a database driven portal system, wherein two user types are supported: administrative and client. Administrative users can make structural changes and content updates, manage user accounts and moderate actions of client users. In consideration of the large amount of data storage associated with the upload of patent documents, physical requirements to properly store and provides routine backup to a second physical location will be made prior to activation of the system. The system is designed to support both domestic and international users and features updated legalistic information prominently, allowing for ease of interaction and communication between administrative users and clients. 3.3 Project Overview Diagram 3.4 Feasibility Analysis The website has two functional sides. The administrator side can be controlled by the website programmers. The user side has some unknowns, due to the variety of users. Another aspect to keep in mind is the IP patents will be checked through the Saudi Arabian Patent Office. Only individuals interested in a patent from the Saudi Arabian Patent Office will become users. 3.4.1 Questionnaire The questionnaire has been designed to test both the practicality and the general responsiveness of prospective clients to the use of the system based on occupation, nationality, and other relevant characteristics. Based on the response the positive questionnaire, implementation of a web based system for IPR Support Systems is a practical task that will ultimately reduce resource investment of cost and labour and achieve higher levels of client satisfaction. The questionnaire was set up at a reputable question making website. The users of the IPR Support Systems took the questionnaire. The questionnaire can be found at the following site http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/93RX53W. The results of whether a respondent would use the proposed service are: Intellectual Property Rights Management System If there was a system that would help you identify whether a product or service that you are trying to develop violates an existing IP, would you consider using it? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Definitely 26.7% 4 Maybe 40.0% 6 Not sure 13.3% 2 Not at all 13.3% 2 Don't know 6.7% 1 answered question 15 skipped question 23 There were 38 respondents that had a wide range of different occupations. Respondents were all male. This is a factor that must be taken into consideration. Saudi Arabia has Sharia law. This means women cannot hold patents. For International users, a company would have to use a man for this website. The purpose of this survey was to find out if IP awareness software would be appealing to companies. 3.4.2 Functional Requirements Two user types are present in this system, the client and the administrative users. Functional requirements are as follows and will assist in design and development of the IPR Support System. Client side: Register a new Account Receive emails with details from administrative users Contact admin users in an effort to control the account Access all prior contacts (sent/received messages) concerning the account Modify personal information/account information Upload patent documents, graphics, models, and other files Verification against plagiarism/duplication upon file upload View, access, remove, and modify uploaded files Submit patent request for IP Generate Follow-Up inquiry for patent request Admin side: Activate new client accounts Deactivate client accounts Create new users Assign administrative status to users Send/receive messages to clients and admin users Upload files to client accounts View, access, and remove client uploaded files Verify files against plagiarism/duplication Make changes to homepage content Make limited style changes to homepage for user comfort. Suspend, add, delete, and modify client accounts 3.4.3 Non-Functional Requirements Accessibility: Website adheres to the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA) standards in order to encourage and promote use. Audit and Control: The Saudi Patent Office will audit and control documents, in accordance with current procedure. In addition, audit of authorized administrative users will be implemented. Bandwidth: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) as provided by the Saudi Telecom Company will provide dedicated bandwidth to support the launch and ongoing use of the website. Use at peak times will be monitored, and historical trends of traffic and bandwidth recorded for future optimization. Disaster Recovery: Owing to the large amounts of data to be stored, a lifetime value on patents and patent material will be the patent life plus five years, after which time the patent will be archived. Secondary digital copies of all data will be stored at a remote location and backed up daily to ensure data integrity in the case of disaster. Price: The cost of deploying and maintaining the system will be significant, creating high-tech jobs for the maintenance of the system. Overall, the estimated savings versus the storage and manipulation of paper files is great, and serves to offset costs of implementation and maintenance of the IPR Support System. Quality/Usability: Regular survey shall gauge the type of user as well as their national and financial affiliations in order to better improve quality and usability. Responses to surveys shall be made available to administrative users. 4 System Analysis and Design 4.1 Risk Analysis Implementation of a system that is made available to the public, both internationally and domestically, comes with inherent human risks as well as physical and environmental threats that must be assessed (Wold et al. 1997). The functional decomposition of the application into tiers of processing reveals that vulnerably exists at the client tier, web tier, application tier, and data tier (McGraw 2004). Initially a user must logon, present credentials, and records must be generated in addition to record queries and order entries being handled. These elements and their transmission are protected by secure coding and information transfer in the current design. Additionally, vulnerabilities at subsequent points, such as user uploads, that may affect the data flow will be recorded to the server and will presumably be monitored by administrative personnel periodically to ensure that abuse of the system does not occur and that the system continues to perform optimally. “Disaster prevention techniques include two categories: procedural prevention and physical prevention” (Wold et al. 1997). Procedural prevention would have to be the administrator’s attention to detail. Physical prevention would be the maintaining of the computer and storage equipment. 4.2 Use Case Diagrams Figures 01 and 02 show simplified use-case diagram studies for client and administration of the ISR Support System website. Complex functions within each category are implies, such as user modification tasks of creation, deletion, suspension, user reward, and/or ranking. Figure 01: Client-side case use diagram Figure 02: Admin-side case use diagram 4.3 Web Portal Navigation Structure The web portal navigation structure is database driven, and generally requires a higher level of maintenance than other web navigation formats. Because of the nature of the IPR Support Systems interface, a portal design serves to simplify user interface for the large volume of users expected to utilize the site by directing users at both admin and client level to single page for navigation. This easily addresses the logistic of conveying important legalistic updates as necessary, as all users access the site from the same area, whose content is able to be modified by qualified administrative users. A portal is a website or address with a large amount of storage space. The storage space is for the users. The web address would be the access to the portal. Many webmasters buy storage online, but for companies’ storage is massive computers with enough storage to operate their website. 4.4 Entity Relationship Diagram Figures 03 show simplified ER diagram Figure 03: ER diagram TM is a trademark. 4.5 Class Diagram A class diagram is a type of static structure diagram that describes the construction of a system, where the system's classes, their individual attributes, and the relationships between the classes included in the software (Ambler 2009) are displayed. Figures 04 show class diagram Figure 04: class diagram 4.6 Sequence Diagram The hardware necessary for this website is demonstrated below: (Voltaire 2010) 4.7 Graphical User Interface Design The graphical user interface is designed to be friendly to a variety of users from most technical backgrounds. The HTML based template allows for simple and effective changes to be implemented with minimal time and labour investments and easy upgrade to CSS based template in the future. The page title is featured prominently in the top left of the page, while navigation and login are featured at the top left. Submenus dynamically appear based on the user’s status and allow for effective navigation throughout the site. Database results are presented in logical table format which interfaces well with most printing devices, and also allows room for future implementation of print-friendly pages. The colour scheme chosen is red on white/transparent because red is a high contrast colour (Precision Intermediate 2010), that marketers say draws attention and encourages urgency—a suitable colour scheme for a project that exists to streamline the movement of IP data. The graphics look like the following screen shot: 5 Implementation 5.1 Development Environment The web site consists of dynamic database-driven pages. SQL Server and ASPx will be used as the preferred database and scripting language to generate dynamic pages. The web portal pages will be designed using HTML and JavaScript language. For server-side scripting, ASP.NET will be used on the World Wide Web. ASP.NET will also be used for content management and to add functionalities to the website pages. 5.2 Cascading Style Sheet Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) code has been implemented to allow for increased flexibility and accessibility to individual pages within the project. In December of 1996, the governing body of the web (W3C) first recommended the use of CSS specification Level 1, which was soon followed by the May 1998 ratification of CSS Level 2. CSS allows for ease of manipulation and improved performance of all stylistic elements on the web page, including positioning, colour, and style (Rewis 2009). Level 2 will be used for this purpose. 5.3 Input Validation Validating user input is a necessary function of a Web-based application, and production applications often involve significant amount of time on this task. One of the reasons for choosing ASP.NET is the simplicity of validation using simple server-side protocols of http that avoid the security risks of client-side data validation (Moore, A. 2000). This webpage uses a combination of methods, with a primarily server-side validation used to verify account, files, and other materials uploaded into the system. 5.4 Security The latest techniques as recommended by Microsoft for authenticating clients and admin users through web forms, authorising access to individual pages and functionalities, and managing user accounts have been followed in order to create a secure environment (Mircrosoft 2010). Additionally, initial client-side followed by server-side validation ensures that malicious files are deterred before damaging the database structure. In order to ensure security, administrative users must periodically access server log files and provide maintenance to the system. An administrative user can find malicious files and preventions through this type of maintenance. 5.5 IPR Violation Identification Algorithm The IPR Validation Identification Algorithm (IPRVIA) will serve to reduce time and cost of initial verification of patent documents by providing instant feedback about plagiarism and duplication to the client upon file upload, as well as notifying administrators of plagiarism and duplication issues with submitted patent applications. The system will work like turnitin and other websites of that nature. The algorithm is based on analysing and determining the similarity between the text of two different IPR documents. In order to achieve this, the most popular keywords are selected and weighted according to their importance in the document. The weighting process can be achieved using the TF*IDF algorithm, a popular weighting formula commonly used in text classification tasks. Using the TF*IDF weighting and a hard threshold, each IPR document can be represented by a set of keywords, eventually forming a feature vector. Each feature vector contains the frequency of each keyword in a document. Therefore, each document should eventually be encoded into a feature vector and saved in the database, in order to be easily and quickly processed later on. The similarity between IPR documents is performed by measuring the distance between the feature documents. A small distance between vectors indicates similar features (keywords) and therefore high probability for describing the same thing. Whereas, distant feature vectors would indicate different IPR descriptions. In order to minimise the impact of not identifying similar documents that use different wording to describe the same thing, a thesaurus can also be utilised. Luckily, online thesauri are available and are compatible for automatic integration into a system. The most popular thesaurus that is also used in the system is WordNet that contains millions of words and their association with hypernyms, hyponyms and synonyms. This process of identifying the similarity of two documents using the meaning of the contents rather than the exact wording is usually known as semantic similarity. 5.6 Usability and Accessibility The IPR Support System website adheres to the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA) standards in order to encourage and promote use by both domestic and foreign citizens. Special provisions are not made for those with impairments/disabilities; however the page is designed in a format that is easily modifiable and displays correctly in most standard web viewers. Sound can be provided at a later date for the blind, if the original website works as planned. 6 Testing and Evaluation 6.1 Testing Methods Testing for this system was completed using a variety of freely available development tools that operate through the FireFox browser, including the Selenium application testing plug-in for Unit Test of ASP.NET systems and the FireFox Web Developers toolbar for final verification of CSS and HTML output (SelemiumHQ 2010). 6.2 Testing Results The aforementioned diagnostic tools allowed for assessment and correction of browser-compatibility issues and standardization of code. The results showed that the software was fully functional, and only small modifications needed to be made to ensure accessibility and cross-browser support. A black box test and white box test was completed. Black box testing is an analysis of the software unit, integration, functional, system and acceptance. White box testing is a testing of the control flow, data flow, path, and branch testing. A diagram shows the difference testing techniques: (OnJava.com 2010) 6.3 Evaluation Methods The system was evaluated by the entry of several test users, representing both the client and admin functionality. The users were guided through a variety of processes to ensure proper functionality of the system. The results were: Intellectual Property Rights Management System Are you the most senior person with responsibility for your organisation’s IP rights? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Yes 27.8% 10 No 44.4% 16 Don’t know 27.8% 10 answered question 36 skipped question 2 Intellectual Property Rights Management System Are you actively involved in the management of your organisation’s IP rights? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Yes 45.7% 16 No 54.3% 19 answered question 35 skipped question 3 Intellectual Property Rights Management System Does your organisation seek to obtain additional income by commercialising its IP? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Yes 36.8% 7 No 21.1% 4 Don’t know 42.1% 8 answered question 19 skipped question 19 Intellectual Property Rights Management System Does your organisation measure or monitor the income it receives from licensing out its IP rights? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Does not receive any income 27.3% 6 Yes 36.4% 8 No 4.5% 1 Don’t know 31.8% 7 answered question 22 skipped question 16 6.4 Experiments Experiments are designed based on common standards established by Microsoft, since they are the forerunners in software and computers, in conjunction with ASP.NET in order to ensure the performance of the IPR Support System. 6.4.1 Dataset The dataset used to test the website comes from the questionnaire. The dataset were 38 business men. Their responses gave the dataset that determined the success or failure of the website. Intellectual Property Rights Management System Which of the following types of intellectual assets does your organisation actively exploit? Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Know How 17.6% 6 Knowledge 50.0% 17 Business process 17.6% 6 Image / Brand 8.8% 3 Other (specify) 5.9% 2 answered question 34 skipped question 4 6.4.2 Setup The setup was the completion of website for the respondents to use in order to complete the survey. Using a simple SQL code available with Microsoft computers and putting in the IPR Validation Identification Algorithm made the setup possible. 6.4.3 Outputs 6.5 Evaluation of Results New users managed to easily able to navigate the site and interact to create and modify their own accounts without additional instruction. These users quickly adapted to the environment and were able to upload files, interact with other users, and access data/news stream. Users could benefit from additional navigation, including reverse navigation menus. 6.6 Cost Estimation The cost estimation is broken down as follows: 1. One laptop with Microsoft software-£400 2. Web Domain-free If this becomes a bigger website for thousands, domain costs can range from £50 and up depending on storage size needed. 6.7 Findings The system provides the minimum requirements for functionality and leaves room for improvement of the system by the addition of features and design elements to improve the variety of user functionalities available. The results were not as high as expected, but this leaves room for improvement in the future. The results are reflected in the questionnaire: Intellectual Property Rights Management System Which of the following types of intellectual assets does your organisation actively exploit? Answer Options Answer Options Response Percent Response Count Know How 17.6% 6 Knowledge 50.0% 17 Business process Business process 17.6% 6 Image / Brand 8.8% 3 Other (specify) 5.9% 2 answered question 34 skipped question skipped question 4 4 The chart above also shows that in the future knowledge based individuals would be more interested in this type of service than image/brand. 7 Conclusion The development of the IPR Support System is in the preliminary stages. A lot more work is necessary for the IPR Support System to work. This report lays out the basic requirements for such a system and integrates them together into a basic, functional whole that is organised and easily modified by current programming standards to fit the developing needs of such a system. As this system is designed to be an internationally accessible system that is likely to maintain a high volume of traffic and data movement, before the system goes into practical use, necessary testing for functionality and security would be implemented in addition to these preliminary tests, and adjustments made to the code based on the findings of experts in the field. The research conducted highlights the economic benefits of moving the management of Intellectual Property Rights to a digital, web-based system, and its increased efficiency of validating against plagiarism as well as ultimate cost and labour savings. The sustainable move of making IP patents possible online would cut down on paper. This type of website would also help IP creators to be creative without copying a known patent. It also looks the benefits of making IPR information in Saudi Arabia more readily available to both domestic individuals and international associates in order to encourage the influx of high-tech industries into the national market. The drawback for the website to go global is different laws. Saudi Arabia has Sharia Law, which is generally rejected in the West. Some users might not use the website due to prejudice, misunderstanding, or gender. A website incorporating a way for IP patents to be applied for online is the future. Inventors can see what has already been patented and apply for a patent at the same time. This type of website will help the IP patent process go smoother. The Saudi Arabian Patent Office will be able to accept patents, but also be able to deny patents quicker through the software. The IPR information will be easier to check online. The overall process will be easier on both ends. An IPR information process website is possible. Administrators and users can navigate the website easily. The results of the tests on the website create for this paper reveal that it is possible. The initial process was inexpensive. All of the software code could be produced on a laptop. The website worked. There is room for improvement, but the small technical issues could easily be overcome. IPR information processing is a groundbreaking concept that will be developed in the future. Hopefully this technique will thrive in Saudi Arabia in an effort to make the IP patent process easier for both parties. Bibliography Alosaimi, N. (2008) Saudi Firm Faces Lawsuit Over Software Piracy. Arab News. Viewed 11 August 2010 from http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=107720&d=11&m=3&y=2008 Assad, J. (2010) Islam, Intellectual Property, and Free Culture. Personal homepage. Viewed 11 August 2010 from http://www.free_culture_open_source BIO: Biotechnology and Industry Organization Website (2010) Intellectual Property. 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