The Cairo Economic Court sentenced media personality Maha al-Saghir to one month in prison and fined her LE10,000, on Saturday, after convicting her of infringing on the intellectual property rights of several paintings belonging to international artists. The case began when the Supreme Council for Media Regulation received complaints from European art institutions alleging that Saghir used their artwork without prior authorization. Following this, the Council issued an urgent decision in July banning her from appearing in the media for six months, in addition to referring the complaints to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for investigation. Following investigations, the Public Prosecution decided to refer Saghir to trial, confirming that the program -which aired in July – included the display of European paintings protected by intellectual property rights, without consulting their owners or copyright holders. The referral decision explained that the paintings were presented within an artistic segment as if they were the presenter’s own creation, which the prosecution viewed as a clear violation of intellectual property rights.

Source: Egypt Independent December 28, 2025 11:02 UTC