Entertainment regulations in the Kingdom
With the approaching Saudi entertainment seasons and the economic movement that accompanies them, it is important that all those working in the field of the sector are fully aware of the most important laws governing it.
The Kingdom’s leadership sees the industry as one of its main sources of income, and considers that Saudi Arabia is qualified to be an ideal, leading global entertainment destination.
Therefore, in today’s article, we will review the most important laws that govern this huge industry in a way that interests its institutions, workers, and its beneficiaries.
First, the entertainment industry in the Kingdom is under the management of the General Authority for Entertainment, which enjoys its own legal personality as well as financial and administrative independence. It is organizationally linked to the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.
The authority aims to regulate and develop the entertainment activity in the Kingdom, upgrade all its elements, components and capabilities, and monitor it in coordination with the relevant authorities. It may, without prejudice to the competencies and responsibilities of other entities, do all that is necessary in order to achieve its objectives, including suggesting regulations and regulatory policies related to entertainment activity, and setting strategies, plans and programs necessary to manage the entertainment sector in the Kingdom.
The most important set of laws governing the entertainment industry, in my opinion, is in contract law, as they regulate all kinds of contracts between all parties, starting from the relationships between organizers, suppliers, to marketing contracts and even ticket sales. The terms of these sensitive contracts must always be taken into account, especially those related to the enforcement of the terms of the contract and consequences and penalties in the event of a breach.
Another important area of entertainment is intellectual property, which governs the mechanism of sharing creative ideas and inventions, even those that fall within the field of entertainment. This creativity extends to also govern all the auxiliary means to facilitate the processes of reservations and organization of events, as well as the applications associated with it.
The labor law also occupies a large and important position in the entertainment industry, where the labor law governs contracts between institutions, companies and their employees, and also governs the mechanisms of part-time work in projects that require it. Perhaps the legal culture in the labor laws and policies is very important for employees to be aware of in order to preserve their rights in the face of some institutions that may exploit the seasonal nature of the activities of this sector.
Finally, tax laws and compliance policies are also essential to this sector, especially in light of the diversity and multiplicity of the activities of the entertainment industry. They are maintained to ensure that each institution abides by its tax duties to avoid obstacles resulting from violating the related regulations.