Criminal Support for Trademarks

Beside the material properties that transactional and materials values have, today, there is a group of properties which are either the result of mental activities of human beings or symbolize a particular profession or specialty with a field of business and industrial application, and therefore have a material and intellectual value. This is called intellectual property and that is why supporting the proprietor of these properties is one of the important issues in the different legal systems including in Iran. The present article deals with the analysis of criminal support for a group of these proprietor, i.e. trade mark of merchandise and service. To this end, a general and brief account is offered on the definition of concepts relating to the trade mark and familiarity with national and international rules and regulations that govern it while the need for criminal support of the trade mark is examined and its legal status is explained in the criminal system of Iran. A historical study of the criminal developments and penal supports for the holder of the rights of trade mark is also provided.