Awareness of Intellectual Property Rights among Graduate Students at Umm Al-Qura University: A Case Study

This study aimed to examine the level of awareness of intellectual property rights among graduate students at Umm Al- Qura University and to measure the impact of demographic characteristics on their awareness of these rights. The study adopted the case study method and used a questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. The study sample consisted of 115 male and female graduate students enrolled at the university. The findings revealed that most participants had a general awareness of the existence of intellectual property protection laws in Saudi Arabia. However, fewer than half were aware of the official national authority responsible for intellectual property rights, and a large proportion of the respondents did not know the name of that authority. The majority of the participants also believed that the implementation of intellectual property rights regulations is beneficial. The study recommended that Saudi universities strengthen awareness of intellectual property rights through organizing seminars and workshops and by disseminating educational content throughsocial media platforms. It also recommended fostering cooperation between universities and the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property in order to enhance cultural awareness of intellectual property rights.