Egypt's parliament is set to pass a law that requires payment of royalties for exact replicas of its ancient pyramids in every country.

The proposed law announced by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) on Tuesday also prohibits the duplication of the Egyptian monuments, including the Sphinx. Drawings and other reproductions of pharaonic and Egyptian monuments from all eras are exempted from the law if they are not exact copies.

Royalties that will be collected from reproducers will be used to fund the maintenance of the monuments.

Zahi Hawass, head of the SCA said, "It is Egypt's right to be the only copyright owner for these monuments in order to benefit financially so we can restore, preserve and protect Egyptian monuments."

An Egyptian newspaper on Sunday called for the Luxor Hotel in the U.S. gambling capital of Las Vegas to share its profit with Luxor City, Egypt because its casino resort is designed after the ancient Egyptian city and has a pyramid-shaped building.

According to Agence France-Presse, Hawass said the hotel's pyramid is not an exact copy of the pharaonic monuments because its interior is entirely different from an ancient Egyptian setting.