As part of the government program "Developing and Enhancing the Capabilities of University Leadership and Human Resources," the Center for Development and Continuing Education at the University of Basra organized a workshop on intellectual property protection laws.
The objective of the workshop is to introduce the concept of intellectual property, its types, and the laws that protect it.
The workshop, presented by Dr. I'tidal Abdulbaqi Yousif Al-Adhab, included a historical overview of the origins of protection and the entities that emphasized its necessity. The workshop covered the types of intellectual property rights, which are divided into two main categories: industrial property rights and literary and artistic property rights. Examples were given for each type, such as industrial designs, trade secrets, trademarks, patents, literary works, and artistic creations. The workshop also addressed national laws and international agreements that protect intellectual property rights, as well as the important organizations that provide legal protection, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Within Iraq, there is the Copyright Court and the National Center for the Protection of Copyright and Related Rights.
The workshop also explained the rights of authors and related rights, and divided these rights into economic rights and moral rights. The distinction between them was clarified, as well as the concept of intellectual piracy and scientific theft and their legal treatment. The workshop highlighted the important exceptions that apply to copyright.
In conclusion, it was recommended to increase the number of workshops and discussion sessions to qualify a larger number of employees in order to spread legal awareness among participants
