Legal Regime of Indirect Patent Infringement: A Comparative Study

Abstract

According to the doctrine of indirect infringement, anyone who provides the causesof infringement or facilitate its occurrence will be liable for compensation for indirectinfringement of patent rights, including contributory and inducing infringement. Civilliability arising from the indirect infringement, based on fault, is created if there is adirect infringement of the act or omission.There is no such entity in Iranian patentlaw, but by referring to some other laws, it could result in a sentence against theindirect infringer. However, if there is interest, the adoption of a specific rule issuggested in this field. Since Iran is a developing country, the authors of this paperbelieve that such an interest is not considered. The main questions posed in this articleare: What are the requirements of the indirect infringement and what is the positionof Iranian law in this respect? By conducting a comparative study under legal systemsof generally developed countries and by placing a particular emphasis on the US Lawand related case laws as the origin of this institution, this article discussesrequirements of the indirect infringement and accordingly presents the position ofIranian law and appropriate proposals.

Keywords

• indirect infringement
• patent
• contributory infringement
• fault