From: bavafa@netcom.com (Hooshyar Naraghi)
Subject: Roots and (C) [Re: International Copyright Laws]
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 92 06:13:11 GMT
Organization: tarjomeh

In article <1460@newsserver.cs.uwindsor.ca> tarokh@server.uwindsor.ca (TAROKH VAHID             ) writes:
>In article <1992Aug31.152350.20633@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>, paran_p@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Pirouz Parang) writes:
>> 
>> 	I have heard that Iran has not signed International copyright agreements and thus, Iranian publishers are not protected or restricted by them.
>> Does anyone know more about this?
>> 
>> 					                          	
>
>As far as I know, when the book `roots' was publishe in Iran, the author
>said in an interview that he had to have to get paid less in order to have
>the price feasible to Iranian reader. Since the author I think 'Alex Hailey '
>(if I have the spelling right) is American,

*******  WARNING:  This is a relatively long posting.  And it's serious so
*******  please exercise your discretion in reading it.
*******

The situation was more different from what is reported.  Here is what my
source is saying, and that is Mr. Alireza Farah-mand, the translator of the
famous book 'Roots' by author Alex Haley.  Mr. Farah-mand continues: (1)

'I saw Alex for the second time last year (1356,1977) when he had been invited
to attend the African Art Festival in Tehran.  We had dinner together at two
nights, and discussed matters related to the book 'Roots' and other misc.
subjects.

'I even talked about Copyright with him.  His white attorney was also with him.
I mentioned that Iran was not a signatury to the International Copyright Law.
Before he could answer me, his attorney jumped in and said "I don't care about
that.  If the book is published in Iran without making payments, I will
sue." [familiar kind of language for _us_ living in the US of A, right? -HFN]
I replied that naturally if I did not intend to discuss this matter, I 
wouldn't have met them that night.  Meanwhile, I reminded Alex's attorney that
my discussion about copyright had origins in my moral obligations and that it
had nothing to do with legal issues.

'The attorney further continued that he had collected various royalties from
publishers around the world with highest figure from a German publisher for
$257,000 while he had gotten as low as $50,000 in some cases.

'I tried to explain to him that although the book market in Iran was improving
on a daily basis, nevertheless, it would be a long time before we could reach 
Germany's book publishing industry.

'As soon as Alex attempted to speak, the attorney said "Alex let me conduct the
conversation."  Alex replied "But I haven't said anything yet!"  His attorney
finally turned to me and with a threatening tone said "If you translate this
book without paying copyright royalty, you will be considered an international
robber [rAhzan-e beyn'u'l-melali], and will be in violation of the law."

'I replied "Please don't talk about international robbery.  Only God knows who
the real robbers are, and Alex's book is all about those robbers.  If those
robberies had not occured, today we wouldn't have conducted such a
conversation.  Meanwhile, when you talk about the law, I should tell you that
the fair and just law is to identify a reader for a book first.  If I pay you
what you are asking, the [translated] book will become so expensive that 
nobody will bother to read it."

'Alex Haley was apparently on my side, and he changed the subject by asking
about the situation in "eye-run."  I told him that the correct pronounciation
was "Iran." . . . . .  

'Next day I called his hotel room.  Alex explained that unfortunately his
attorney sometimes insisted too much, and that this was of course his job.
And, his motive in giving copyright license to the Iranian publisher was not
money because he did not need it.  He just wanted to follow the principle so
that no other translator would curse him as why he gave the copyright to a
translator for free.

'I said that I did not want to get something for free either, and that we
wanted to pay him something reasonable and fair, although this [copyright]
discussion did not have any legal impositon but it merely had moral aspects.'

(1) Translator's introduction, 'rishe-hA,' KhArazmi Publishing Co., First
print ordibehesht 1357 [April 1978].

Regards,
Hooshyar F. Naraghi
bavafa@netcom.com
(415) 324-1055
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian