The primary legislation governing copyright in Iran is the Authors, Composers, and Artists Protection Act, enacted in 1970. Below are the key points of this law to provide a general overview of the system:
1. The Iranian literary and artistic property law system is influenced by the continental European system of authors’ rights.
2. Only works that are first published, performed, or distributed in Iran are eligible for protection.
3. The rights are divided into two categories: economic (material) rights and moral rights. Moral rights do not expire, whereas economic rights last for the life of the author plus fifty years.
4. Infringement of both economic and moral rights is criminalized in the statute, making deterrence the main focus rather than restitution. However, civil litigation is not uncommon and has even been increasing in recent years, addressing the statute's failure to keep pace with today's digital realities.
5. The act lists twelve types of protectable works. Last two items of the list are worded broadly to cover other possible types not specifically mentioned, but they are still somewhat limited in scope.
6. In cases of work made for hire or works owned by a legal entity, i.e. when the original creator does not hold the rights, economic rights cannot last longer than 30 years, after which they revert back to the author.
