Iran and copyright issues
Encyclopedia
According to Circular 38a of the U.S. Copyright Office, Iran
has no official copyright
relations whatsoever with the United States
.
Published works originating in Iran thus are not copyrighted in the United States, regardless of the local copyright laws of these countries. See 17 U.S.C. § 104(b), quoted in the Circular. Unpublished works, however, are copyrighted regardless of their origin or of the nationality of the works' authors, as long as they remain unpublished. See 17 U.S.C. § 104(a).
Microsoft
products can be copied and distributed freely in Iran, whether by government offices, universities, or personal users. There are shopping centers in Tehran
and other cities in Iran that specialize in the distribution of often highly specialized software. Government-affiliated organizations such as the Jahad Daneshgahi sells copies of software at prices much cheaper than other countries across many campuses such as Tehran University.
Two shopping centers are especially known for the sale of numerous copies of software are Pasazh Paytakht (مجتمع کامپیوتر پایتخت) located adjacent to K. N. Toosi University of Technology, and Bazaar Reza (near Amir Kabir University). Other centers exist in Ekbatan
and Enqelab Square
. Recently, there has been a surge in Iranian "Warez
" and "Crackz" websites, as the Iranian laws do not forbid hosting them in Iran. Hence, unlike most other countries where hosting these websites might potentially lead to prosecution, it is very efficient to do so in Iran.
It is not uncommon nowadays for IRIB, Iran's state run television broadcasting organization, to air edited and censored versions of Hollywood blockbusters dubbed in Persian
. Some theaters however, such as Cinema Farhang in Tehran, screen the movies in the original language. None are screened with permission, as there are no relations between Iran and any US companies.
In Iran, often the unlicensed DVD
of a Hollywood film hits stores across Iran sooner than the movie is released in theaters in the US. Most newly released movies however, are in-theater-handycam versions. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of unlicensed DVD-quality reproductions.
Academia, for example, relies almost entirely on translations of textbooks without licensing by foreign publishers. If in English, the books are unlicensed offset prints that enable students to purchase textbooks at subsidized prices.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
has no official copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
relations whatsoever with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Published works originating in Iran thus are not copyrighted in the United States, regardless of the local copyright laws of these countries. See 17 U.S.C. § 104(b), quoted in the Circular. Unpublished works, however, are copyrighted regardless of their origin or of the nationality of the works' authors, as long as they remain unpublished. See 17 U.S.C. § 104(a).
Freely distributed unlicensed software
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
products can be copied and distributed freely in Iran, whether by government offices, universities, or personal users. There are shopping centers in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and other cities in Iran that specialize in the distribution of often highly specialized software. Government-affiliated organizations such as the Jahad Daneshgahi sells copies of software at prices much cheaper than other countries across many campuses such as Tehran University.
Two shopping centers are especially known for the sale of numerous copies of software are Pasazh Paytakht (مجتمع کامپیوتر پایتخت) located adjacent to K. N. Toosi University of Technology, and Bazaar Reza (near Amir Kabir University). Other centers exist in Ekbatan
Ekbatan
Ekbatan Complex is a planned town built as a project of modern apartment buildings in western part of Tehran, Iran. Today it is considered one of Tehran's neighborhoods. It is the largest residential complex in Tehran.- History :...
and Enqelab Square
Enqelab Square
-Transportation:* Azadi Street* Enqelab Street* Kargar Street* Tehran BRT Line Enqelab square Station* Enghelab Metro Station...
. Recently, there has been a surge in Iranian "Warez
Warez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
" and "Crackz" websites, as the Iranian laws do not forbid hosting them in Iran. Hence, unlike most other countries where hosting these websites might potentially lead to prosecution, it is very efficient to do so in Iran.
Use of unlicensed content in the media
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. Some theaters however, such as Cinema Farhang in Tehran, screen the movies in the original language. None are screened with permission, as there are no relations between Iran and any US companies.
In Iran, often the unlicensed DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of a Hollywood film hits stores across Iran sooner than the movie is released in theaters in the US. Most newly released movies however, are in-theater-handycam versions. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of unlicensed DVD-quality reproductions.
Academia, for example, relies almost entirely on translations of textbooks without licensing by foreign publishers. If in English, the books are unlicensed offset prints that enable students to purchase textbooks at subsidized prices.
See also
- Intellectual property in IranIntellectual property in IranIran is a member of the WIPO since 2001 and has acceded to several WIPO intellectual-property treaties. Iran joined the Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1959. In December 2003 Iran became a party to the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol for the International...
- Economy of IranEconomy of IranThe economy of Iran is the eighteenth largest in the world by purchasing power parity and according to Iranian officials' claims is going to become the 12th largest by 2015. The economy of Iran is a mixed and transition economy with a large public sector and some 50% of the economy centrally planned...
- List of countries' copyright length
- Iran-United States relations
- Smuggling in Iran