TIBF panel discussion reviews academic intellectual property

1391/02/15-08:30

In a panel discussion held Thursday in the TIBF fairground on academic
copyright, researchers discussed relevant theoretical foundations of intellectual property rights and reviewed legal problems facing academic publications.

Staged in a TIBF business section, called the World Book Corner, The copyright session was sponsored by the department of Legal Affairs and Intellectual Property in the IRI Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the TIBF press office reported.

The panel discussion heard from an Iranian researcher and advisor in intellectual property who said a first problem to resolve in the case of academic copyright affairs is whether to consider an academic work as a property of its original author or the publishing university or both.

“A next question to ask is how and why either may claim for the property,” Abulfazl Rezaee told the session.

The researcher outlined several requirements for any such works to qualify as an academic work, saying employment contracts must be in place before a researcher authors his or her work.

Mr. Rezaee then elaborated on triple theories in English speaking countries on definition and regulations of intellectual property, saying each of the three countries of America, Britain and Australia exercise its own, specific rules in the field.

“A first theory considers any work as property of author, particularly in the case of literary and art works while the second theory maintains a work-per-compensation practice under which the property of any works belongs to the sponsoring university,” the researcher said, adding that a third theory was known as ‘ownership transfer contracts.’

The researcher distinguished between the two notions of ‘material rights’ and ‘intellectual rights,’ saying that intellectual rights prove more significant than material rights as any breach of such rights would be tantamount to breach of author’s respect.

‘Author and sponsoring university are mutually bound to several tasks,’ the researcher said, adding that universities are, among others, required to give training on intellectual property affairs and provide authors with legal supports while authors are required to strictly follow terms of secrecy and provide necessary assistance to universities in using of the work and related patents.