Gihan Zaki resigned from her position as Egypt’s minister of culture after a final court ruling ordered her to pay compensation in an intellectual property dispute involving writer Soheir Abdel Hamid.
The case centered on a biography of Egyptian aristocrat Kout El Kouloub, with the court ruling that Zaki had violated the intellectual property rights of writer Soheir Abdel Hamid in the publication of the work.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 7 July, the Ministry of Culture said Zaki had submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly “out of respect for the judiciary and to avoid embarrassment for the government” over what she described as a personal matter.
According to the ministry, Zaki said she respects the rulings of the Egyptian judiciary and would continue to pursue all legal avenues available to her, including appeals and reconsideration requests permitted under the law.
Madbouly accepted the resignation and thanked Zaki for her efforts during her tenure, wishing her success in her future endeavors, the statement added.
The resignation follows a final ruling by the Economic Court ordering Zaki to pay EGP 100,000 (USD 2,000) in compensation to Abdel Hamid and withdraw the disputed book from circulation after the case was reviewed by three intellectual property experts.
The development also came amid calls in parliament for the government to clarify its position on implementing the ruling.
Speaking to CNN Arabic, Sanaa El-Saeed, a member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, argued that the ruling had become final after all avenues of appeal had been exhausted and that the government’s response would reflect its commitment to the rule of law and the principle of equality before the law.
She also said the case did not justify amendments to intellectual property legislation, arguing that laws should apply equally to public officials and ordinary citizens alike.
The case drew particular attention given that it involved the minister responsible for Egypt’s cultural affairs and the protection of creativity and intellectual property rights.
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