The panel discussion was staged in the pavilion of House of International Authors in the 23^rd edition of Tehran International Book Fair.

 

It was joined by Sayyid Abbas Husseini Nik, member of managing board of University Publishers Association, Sayyid Hasan Mirhusseini, secretary of Intellectual Property Council, Ahmad Ali Mohsenzadeh, director general of legal office of Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and Berandak, member of department of research in Ministry of Sciences and Researches.

 

Berandak initiated the discussion by saying that a major obstacle in protection of intellectual property was that true owner of the property was not identified.

 

"A dissertation is developed through a joint effort by student, guidance teacher, and university or institute. A major cause of concern for legal offices is that who must be held as owner of property in case a related complaint is filed," he observed.

 

He said a strategic committee was formed to fix the glitch, with an agenda of development of relevant information policy and macro planning for registration of theses and patents. He observed that based on the body's studies, intellectual properties of a specific dissertation were exclusively owned by the institute where the dissertation was developed and that internal regulations of the institute would be the governing law for settlement of probable disputes.

 

Husseini Nik however was negative, saying that the true owners of dissertations are students themselves, arguing that the individuals pass a lesson in theory and practice and then compile and write a dissertation. He went on to say that once a students applies to his institute of affiliation, University Publishers Association, for publication of a certain thesis, the institute considers the student as true owner and then gets his or her thesis published.

 

Husseini Nik then said by virtue of Law on Registration of Works, approved in 1969, a work would be sponsored only when it is published otherwise individuals are authorized to use available scientific resources in their dissertations; "the reality has prompted some individuals to fail to mention the credit of their references," he regretted.

 

Mirhusseini then took the discussion, faulting the idea that students must be granted bonuses instead of full intellectual properties. He then touched on a recent joint undertaking among a dozen countries for protection of intellectual property, adding that Intellectual Prosperity Organization, mamboing 14 countries, was debating potentials and challenges of the issue, adding that organization considers intellectual property not a goal but a tool for achieving a goal, namely promoting of society.

 

Next Ahmad Ali Mohsenzada declared that his ministry was ready to support or sponsor university dissertations which are deemed original.

 

Berandak wrapped the discussion by vowing to collect the ideas and let the Ministry of Sciences know them so that they are debated and considered in later modifications to regulations on intellectual property.