حفاظت از اختراعات نرم افزاري در ايران

Protection of Software Inventions in Iran

Having knowledge based economy as outlined in Iranʹs 2025 vision statement, requires special attention to industries in which the power of human intellect and creativity play a vital role. Software industry is a shining example that characterizes such an industry. Accelerating and shaping the growth of software industry, thus, is expected to be among the priorities of the Iranian national policy-makers. The system of national intellectual property protection for software is a determining factor which affects the survival and growth of the software industry and for the same reason attracts special attention in the national technology policies. Given the especial nature of software, On the other hand, determining the optimal form and degree of software protection has been a serious concern for policy-makers in different jurisdictions. This paper briefly reviews the different forms of protecting software as intellectual property and analysis the pros and cons of patent protection. Then, the complexities attached to software patenting in different jurisdictions are examined. The present levels of patent protection of software in Iran are investigated. Finally, the shortcomings of the Iranian patent system in offering proper protection for software are highlighted.