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TIBF panel heard about latest state measures on copyright protection
1390/02/19-08:30
Ahmad-Ali Mohsenzada, director general of the ministry's legal affairs department was speaking to a panel discussion on intellectual property, staged on Saturday in the World Book Corner in the venue of the 24th edition of Tehran International Book Fair.
The official acknowledged that a large number of laws and regulations on intellectual property formerly in place nationwide failed to accommodate to latest technological developments and modern advances worldwide, the book fair's press office reported.
The director general said the ministry was committed to pursue and resolve the copyright related affairs with a view to support domestic authors, compilers and artists and promote the status of authors of literary works in the country.
Mr. Mohsenzada said the copyrights department was also assigned to examine and decide on copyright-related legal affairs, including different contracts concluded on domestic publication as well as the likely opportunities and liabilities of
The cultural official noted the domestic industrial sector enjoyed rather more appropriate conditions than the literary and art sector concerning intellectual property protections so that while the industrial sector has proved successful in patent protection affairs at home and abroad, the literary and art sector has made little headways in this regard.
For example, activists of the industrial sector have already acceded to
MR. Mohsenzada said there was a palpable dearth of nationwide laws and regulations for the purpose of the intellectual property of authors of literary or art works, adding that a first major call for a remedy to the shortfall came in a 2004 speech by the Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei who expressly instructed the authorities in charge to work out due copyright laws for the nation.
The Iranian authority noted however that unlike the case of patents in the industrial sector, it is discretionary for authors of literary and art works to apply for legal protections as to their innovative works of art or literature and that in the past two years, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had been seriously committed to provide copyright coverage to any such creative works.
The official in charge of legal affairs called the copyright coverage for literary and art works a guarantee for survival of innovative, intact thoughts in the field that operates by setting up protective fences around such manifestations of thoughts.
Mr. Mohsenzada said the copyright regulations shall be meant to confer authors of literary or art works with the sole material and intellectual rights to their works of literature or art, including the rights of publication, distribution or mass copying of any such works, as well as applicable proprietary rights, helping altogether to keep any works of art or literature from distortion.
As for relevant procedures of such patent applications, the official said the ministry would not charge any amount for such applications however applicants are going to have to spend a small amount for having the patent notice in the ministry's official gazette.
Mr. Mohsenzada said went on to say that a special pavilion was set up by the legal department in the 24th TIBF fairground where authors of literary or art works may apply for such copyright protections during the book fair's working hours.
According to the official, under the latest amendments to the copyright laws and regulation, the set date for an author to enjoy the sole intellectual rights have been extended to 50 years from 30 years as of the date of registration.
He said the legal department has got an ad hoc academic board formed for the purpose of the Comprehensive Bill on Literary and Intellectual Property and Relevant Rights, made up of top professors and qualified experts with Tehran University and Shahid Beheshti university.
