Analyzing Secondary Trademark Liability from the Perspective of Economic Strategy in US and Iranian Law

Hamed  Najafi

doi:10.6000/2817-2302.2025.04.11

Authors

Hamed Najafi Ph.D in Private Law, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/2817-2302.2025.04.11

Keywords:

Secondary Infringement, Trademark, Brand, Technology, Iranian Law, US Law

Abstract

In US law, trademark infringement can occur in two ways: direct and indirect. In the latter case, a person, without committing an act that constitutes trademark infringement, performs a behavior that, depending on the case, results in the realization of participatory (and motivational) or vicarious liability. Considering the state of technological innovation in America, the identification of such an institution seems justified. In the Iranian legal system, indirect liability for trademark infringement is not foreseen and various instances of this type of infringement are subject to general civil liability regulations, which is logical considering the state of technological innovation in Iran. The purpose of the present study, using a desc riptive-analytical method, is to examine the liability for indirect trademark infringement from the perspective of its effects in the field of technology. The US situation in terms of technology justifies the recognition and application of such a liability, considering its elements.However, considering the state of technological innovation in Iran and considering all the circumstances, including international regulations, Iran's political-economic situation in the international arena, etc., the failure to recognize the entity of indirect liability resulting from trademark infringement and reliance on general civil liability provisions in this context is justified and recommended.

References

Adams Charles W., (2007). Secondary infringement from a Tort Law Perspective, U. RICH. L. REV. No 42.

Agress Rachel N. ( 2011). Is There Ever a Reason to Know? A Comparison of the Contributory Liability "Knowledge" Standard for Websites Hosting Infringed Trademarked Content Versus Infringed Copyrighted Content, 5 J. Bus. Entrepreneurship & L. Iss. 1.

Bakhshizadeh Alireza, Mehdi Jafarzadeh Kanari, Zohreh Dehdashti Shahrokh, (2012). Investigating the social identity perspective of the brand and its impact on developing brand loyalty (case study: Kaleh Dairy Products Manufacturing Company), Modern Marketing Research, Year 2, Issue 2, (5 consecutive issues). (in persian)

Batholomew Mark and John Tehranian, (2006). The Secret Life of Legal Doctrine: The Divergent Evolution of Secondary Liability in Trademark

Bikoff James L., Keri A.F. Johnston, David K. Heasley, Phillip V. Marano, (2010). and Andrea Long, Hauling in the middleman: contributory trade mark infringement in North America, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, Vol. 5, No. 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jiplp/jpq027

Brian Kaiser, (2002). Contributory Trademark Infringement by Internet Service Providers: An Argument for Limitation, 7 J. TECH. L. & POL'Y.

Combs Nathan Isaac, (2005). Note, Civil Aiding and Abetting Liability, Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 58, Issue 1.

Coming Glass Works v. Jeanette Glass Co., 308 F. Supp. 1321 (S.D.N.Y. 1970).

Crealey Maria, (2003). Applying New Product Development Models to the Performing Arts: Strategies for Managing Risk. International Journal of Arts Management, 5(3).

Cross John T, (1994). Contributory Infringement and Related Theories of Secondary Liability for Trademark Infringement, 80 Iowa L. Rev.

Cross John T., (2001). Contributory and Vicarious Liability for Trade-mark Dilution, OR. L. REV. No 80.

DinwoodieGraeme B., Mark D. Janis, (2008). Trademark Law and Theory: A Handbook of Contemporary Research, Edward Elgar Publishing, DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848441316

Dogan Stacey L., Mark A. Lemley, (2007). A Search-Costs Theory of Limiting Doctrines in Trademark Law, Trademark Rep. No 97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848441316.00009

Ebrahimi Abdolhamid; Mehdi Jafarzadeh; Saber Bozorgy, (2012). Investigating factors affecting consumers' attitudes and intentions to purchase counterfeit luxury brand products in the clothing industry (case study: Sari city), Modern Marketing Research, Volume 2, Issue 3. (in persian)

Fagerberg Jan, (1988). International Competitiveness, International competitiveness, Economic Journal, Vol. 98, No. 391. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2233372

Fard Saburi Matin, Ebrahim Chirani, (2011). A Comparison of the Strength of Domestic and Foreign Brand Types from the Perspective of Consumers of Home Appliance Products in Guilan Province, Business Management, Volume 3, Issue 8. (in persian)

Gershwin Publ’g Corp. v. Columbia Artists Mgmt., Inc., 443 F.2d 1159, 1162 (2d Cir. 1971).

Ghasemzadeh, Morteza, Fundamentals of Civil Responsibility, Tehran, Mizan Publications, Fifth Edition, 2008. (in persian)

Gholami Ali, Amir Hossein Bahiraei, (2017). The Spiritual Agent of Crime and Its Relationship with Similar Titles, The Excellence of Law Quarterly, Issue 20. (in persian)

Helli, Al-Hasan bin Yousef bin Al-Mutahhar, (1410). Ershad-al-Azhan, Qom, Al-Nashr Al-Islami Institute, Vol. 1.

Jafarzadeh Mirghasem, Mohammad Reza Ghazizadeh, (2013). Civil liability for patent infringement, fault-based or absolute liability? Journal of Legal Research, Special Issue No. 13. (in persian)

Jensen Michael, C., William H. Meckling, (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and capital structure, Journal of Financial Economics 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X

Katouzian Naser, (2003). Non-contractual obligations, Tehran: Tehran University Press, 2003. (in persian)

Keller Kevin Lane, (2003). Brand Synthesis: The Multidimensionality of Brand Knowledge,”Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 29, Issue 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/346254

Landes William M. & Richard A. Posner, (1987). Trademark Law: An Economic Perspective, J. L. & Econ, No 30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/467138

Lemley, Mark, R. Anthony Reese, (2004). Reducing Digital Copyright Infringement Without Restricting Innovation, STAN. L. Rev.No56.

McKenna Mark P., (2013). The Normative Foundations of Trademark Law, Notre Dame L. Rev. No 82.

Mohsen Shaterian; Dariush Yaghoubi; Azam Nejadi, A Study of the Reasons for the Tendency to Consume Contraband Goods and Strategies to Counter It in Iran, Journal of Parliament and Strategy, Volume 25, Issue 96, 2018, 34-5.

Mohseni Farid, Nasir Malkooti, (2015). Causality relationship in the Islamic Penal Code 2013, Justice Legal Journal, Year 71, Issue 91. (in persian)

Naalchi Kashi, Alireza, Mohsen Rasoulian, Hossein Boujari, (2012). Study of consumer purchasing behavior towards foreign brands versus domestic brands, Development and Transformation Management, Volume 4, Issue 8. (in persian)

Pinha Paula, (2009). Secondary Liability Under U.S. Copyright Law, east Africa regional Seminar on: Copyright Enforcement in the Internet Era May 2009, Nairobi.

Sadeghi Mohammad Hadi, (2013). The Gathering of Incentives in the Islamic Penal Code 2013, Journal of Legal Studies, Volume 6, Issue 2. (in persian)

Sadeghi Mohsen, (2008). Supporting pharmaceutical innovations and joining world trade organizations, Tehran, Mizan Publishing, First edition, 2008. (in persian)

Sadeghi Mohsen, Ruhollah Taherifard, (2015). “Legal foundations of trademark protection: A critical look at the ruling issued in the case of the American Hershey Company and the Iranian Shakopars Company”, Quarterly Journal of Business Research, No. 76. (in persian)

Sadeghi Mohsen, Sadeghi Shamshiri, (2014). "Fundamentals of Trademark Protection from the Perspective of Consumer Search Cost Theory", Legal Research, Volume 17, Issue 68. (in persian)

Shahid Thani, (1413). Masalak al-AfhamiliTanqih Shara’e al-Islam, Qom, Al-Ma’arif Islamic Institute, Vol. 7.

Shateryan Mohsen; Dariush Yaqoubi; Azam Nejadi, (2018). A study of the reasons for the tendency to consume smuggled goods and strategies to combat it in Iran, Majles va Radafat, Vol. 25, No. 96. (in persian)