President Hassan Rohani has presented to the parliament a bill to protect of intellectual property which includes artistic, industrial and scientific property.
The Justice Minister Mostafa PourMohammadi had announced earlier this year at Tehran’s Book Fair that the administration is looking at ways of remedying violations against intellectual property.
He stated that such violations could be punished with fines and ban on social activities or even imprisonment.
Iran is not a signatory to the Berne Convention and international copyright laws.
Meanwhile 50 prominent Iranian filmmakers have filed a complaint against satellite networks regarding the airing of their films without permission. Adel Moghaddas, the legal representative for the filmmakers told ILNA that the objective of the complainants is not so much to collect damages but rather to focus attentions on the need for copyright laws.
The bill introduced by the Rohani administration if approved will be the first legislation in the Islamic Republic regarding protection of intellectual property.