Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Private Law, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty Member of the Department of Law, Khorasan Higher Education Institute, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
In the present era, various countries consider industrial and intellectual property rights very valuable in producing new, efficient, and creative works in the industrial, economic, and even artistic and cultural fields. For this reason, industrial intellectual creations are becoming increasingly important. Governments have been and are trying to provide the necessary protection for industrial property by enacting laws at the domestic and international levels. How to deal with violators of industrial property rights and methods of compensating for damages resulting from their violation are among the most effective legal factors in the field of industrial property protection. The most important protection of industrial property rights is to establish civil liability for violators of these rights and oblige them to compensate damages of the suffered.Purpose In this research, we are trying to examine the methods of compensating for losses resulting from the violation of industrial property rights by focusing on the basis of civil liability for the violation of industrial property rights through a study of relevant international documents. What methods of compensation has the legislator foreseen for compensation of industrial property infringement? Are these methods similar to other methods of compensation for civil damages? Do the general rules of civil liability regarding the provisions and effects of compensation for damages also apply to violations of these rights? Are these methods sufficient to achieve the main purpose (providing transparent and appropriate legal enforcement guarantees to prevent the proliferation of relevant lawsuits)? What is the achievement of a comparative study with relevant international documents in this field for the national legal system? It all depends on the voluntary basis for compensation of damage and civil liability for infringement of industrial property rights.Methods To answer these questions, this research was conducted using an analytical-comparative method. Based on two parts:1- The basis of civil liability for infringement of industrial property rights and 2- civil enforcement guarantee (methods of compensation for damages) for infringement of industrial property rights in the Iranian legal system and international documents.FindingsIt can be said that industrial property rights are rights arising from intellectual creations that are economically related to industry, commerce, and agriculture, and it is the source of both material and spiritual rights for their creators. Any violation of the material and moral rights of industrial property owners or their representatives is referred to as "infringement of industrial property rights," which may occur in various forms. In the "Protection of Industrial Property" law approved on 01/03/1403, the legislator, while addressing the types of industrial property rights, also stated how each of these rights can be violated. With the approval of the Industrial Property Protection Law in 1403, the legislator, in Article 127 and the note under Article 132 of this law, referred compensation for damages resulting from the violation of industrial property rights to the rules of Zaman. It seems that, contrary to what is known about the basis of fault and its principle in civil liability in the country's legal doctrines, the rules of Zaman stipulated in this law refer to the main basis of civil liability in the Iranian legal system, and that is nothing other than the rule and basis of Lazarar. Lazarar basis, in comparison to fault basis, brings us closer to the goal of civil liability, which is to compensate the injured party. In the field of industrial property protection, various treaties and instruments have been adopted and are administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Among the various international conventions and treaties in this regard, we mention the methods of compensation foreseen in the most important of them, namely the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, adopted in 1883, and the TRIPS Agreement, adopted in 1994. A review of the legal provisions related to the types of infringement of industrial property rights in the Paris Convention and the TRIPS Agreement shows that these documents merely allege the occurrence of a harmful act by the right holder (plaintiff) and providing sufficient evidence and documents proving the violation of her rights as a result of another act, the possibility of applying performance guarantees and compensating the right holder in various ways is foreseen. In this regard, there is no requirement to prove the occurrence of fault on the part of the infringer of the right or the occurrence of a direct violation. Thus, it seems that the basis of civil liability for violation of industrial property rights in these international documents is nothing other than strict liability. In the Iranian legal system, in the event of a violation of rights arising from industrial property, the owner of these rights can, by citing the principle of non-harm, file a lawsuit against any person who has infringed on her rights without her permission or has performed an act that could lead to an infringement of her rights or has exploited her industrial property rights without her permission, and demand compensation for her damages. In general, the main methods of compensation in industrial property infringement claims in Iranian law can be divided into two categories: monetary compensation and interim measures. The methods of compensation provided for in the Paris Convention and the TRIPS agreement can be categorized as compensation, interim measures, suspension of clearance of goods, and removal and withdrawal of goods from trade channels.InnovationIn Iranian law, the basis of civil liability has always been a point of contention among jurists. Considering the totality of jurisprudential and legal opinions as well as various legal texts, we are guided to the conclusion that the main basis of civil liability in Iranian law, including in industrial property law, is the basis of Lazarar. By choosing the Lazarar basis as the main basis for civil liability for infringers of industrial property rights, the right holder in a lawsuit claiming damages resulting from the infringement of these rights is exempted from the burden of proving the defendant's fault and can claim damages simply by proving that the defendant committed a harmful act and that she suffered harm as a result of that act. Choosing this basis in Iranian law is more consistent with the nature of intellectual property and the provisions of the Paris Convention and the TRIPS Agreement, and is a step towards harmonizing the Iranian legal system with other international systems and documents.Conclusion The most important protection of industrial property rights is to establish civil liability for violators of these rights. In this study, while choosing the Lazarar basis as the main basis of civil liability in the Iranian legal system, we believe that the Lazarar basis takes precedence over other bases in this regard when the holder of industrial property rights refers to the infringer of these rights, a basis that international documents also follow. However, the limitations and inadequacies of the remedies envisaged in Iranian laws for compensation make it even more apparent that these laws need to be revised and that Iran should join the TRIPS Agreement, which provides more comprehensive provisions in this regard
Keywords
- : Industrial property rights and their infringement
- Legal Sanctions for infringement of industrial property rights
- basis of civil liability
- basis of fault
- basis of Lazarar
Main Subjects
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