Ali Zuweid’s Political Programme · Economy, Public Finance, Investment and Labour
Intellectual Property, Innovation and Technology Transfer Law
A unified legislative framework that protects intellectual property rights, addresses fragmented laws and procedures, and turns research and innovation into assets capable of commercialization and technology transfer without sacrificing competition, health, education or the public interest.
Executive Summary
This document proposes a comprehensive Iraqi law to replace three principal, separate legislative frameworks originating in 1957, 1970 and 1971, while retaining existing government offices rather than creating a new agency. It adds modern rules on digital filing, international applications under the PCT, digital works, trade secrets, state-funded research, sharing innovation revenues, university spin-offs, technology transfer, and safeguards for competition, health and food security to traditional protection.
Choosing a unified law does not mean concentrating every power in a single institution. The proposal separates policy and coordination from examination, registration and enforcement: the patent, trademark and copyright authorities continue performing their functions, linked by a unified platform and a coordinating committee without a separate staff establishment or budget. The aim is consistent rules and easier access while avoiding costly bureaucratic reconstruction.
Constitutional and legal context
The reform rests on Article (25) of the Constitution, which provides for economic reform on modern foundations and encouragement of the private sector; Article (26), concerning investment promotion; and Article (34/Third), requiring the state to encourage scientific research and support excellence, creativity and innovation. This foundation permits a law that treats intellectual property not merely as registration, but as an economic and legal infrastructure connecting research, investment and production.
The current system is divided among the Trademarks and Trade Descriptions Law No. (21) of 1957, as amended; the Patents and Industrial Designs Law No. (65) of 1970, expanded through amendments in 2004 and 2015 to cover undisclosed information, integrated circuits and plant varieties; and the Copyright Protection Law No. (3) of 1971, as amended. Executive responsibilities are also distributed among several government bodies. This fragmentation does not mean protection is absent, but it makes modernization, procedures, commercialization and technology transfer less consistent.
| Area | Body | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Patents and industrial designs | Competent authority within the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control | Retained, with digitization and unified interconnection |
| Trademarks and geographical indications | Competent authority in the Ministry of Industry and Minerals | Retained, with a unified electronic register and search facility |
| Copyright and related rights | Competent national centre in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities | Retained, with voluntary deposit and regulated collective management |
| International coordination and policy | National Coordinating Committee | Coordination without an independent agency or new staff establishment |
Problems with current legislation
The central problem is not the absence of every element of protection, but their historical accumulation in separate texts subject to scattered amendments, with differing terminology, procedures and authorities. Iraq has been a party to the Paris Convention since 1976, the Singapore Treaty since 2014, the Patent Cooperation Treaty since 2022 and the Marrakesh Treaty since 2024. Yet the national framework still needs unified drafting that connects these commitments to clear digital procedures and balanced rights.
Current institutional activity also shows that the system is operating: in 2026, the Patent Directorate of the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control published data on domestic applications, PCT applications, grants and examination. The task is therefore not to dismantle existing bodies but to improve their efficiency, connect them through a single process serving investors, researchers, courts and customs, and establish rules for technology transfer and commercialization of research results that traditional registration arrangements do not adequately provide.
Iraq also remains in the process of accession to the World Trade Organization. The draft therefore clearly distinguishes treaties already in force from TRIPS standards adopted as a reference for reform and accession preparation, without incorrectly describing them as obligations of existing membership.
Legislative design
The draft establishes a single system in twelve chapters. It begins with principles and digital administration, then regulates patents, utility models, designs, integrated circuits, trademarks, geographical indications, copyright, trade secrets and plant varieties. It then addresses what traditional legislation lacks: ownership of state-funded research results, how researchers and institutions share the revenues, when a spin-off may be established, and how technology licensing, the public interest and competition are managed.
The draft avoids extending monopolies beyond what is necessary. It recognizes exceptions for research, education, access for persons with disabilities, interoperability and lawful reverse engineering; protects parallel imports of genuine goods; and regulates compulsory licensing and government use in the public interest. It also confines criminalization to intentional counterfeiting and piracy on a commercial scale and prevents reasonable civil disputes from becoming punitive instruments.
Draft Intellectual Property, Innovation and Technology Transfer Law
Chapter One — General Provisions and Governing Principles
Article (1) — Title and scope
This law shall be called the “Intellectual Property, Innovation and Technology Transfer Law”. It establishes a unified framework for protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights, transferring technology and encouraging innovation, with due regard for the public interest, competition, access to knowledge, health, food security and economic development.
Article (2) — Objectives
This law aims to modernize the intellectual property system, simplify registration and enforcement, strengthen market confidence, convert research results into economic value, protect creators, inventors and investors, empower small enterprises and universities, and provide a balanced legal environment for domestic and international technology transfer.
Article (3) — Principles
This law is based on legality, transparency, proportionality and non-discrimination; priority for the public interest in cases of conflict; respect for competition; prevention of abuse of rights; protection of data and legitimate secrets; availability of auditable digital procedures; and prevention of unjustified intellectual property barriers to research, education and health.
Article (4) — Definitions
The following terms have the meanings stated: intellectual property: the rights provided for in this law; competent office: the government body responsible for registration or administration according to the type of right; public domain: material whose protection has expired or which does not meet the conditions for protection; technology transfer: licensing, assignment or sharing of knowledge, a right, trade secret or technical expertise for economic or research use.
Article (5) — Scope of application
This law applies to rights arising, registered or exploited in the Republic of Iraq; acts producing substantial effects within it; and foreign rights to the extent required by treaties in force, reciprocity or this law.
Article (6) — Registration required only by express provision
Registration is not a condition for the creation of copyright, a trade secret or any right this law protects automatically. Patents, designs, trademarks, plant varieties and other rights specified by law are established through registration or grant under the prescribed procedures.
Article (7) — No abuse of rights
An intellectual property right may not be used for unlawful monopolization, market division, prevention of legitimate research or imposition of contractual terms contrary to public policy or competition. The Competition and Anti-Monopoly Law applies where appropriate, without prejudice to the legitimate protection established here.
Article (8) — Balance with the public interest
This law shall be interpreted to balance the right holder's interests with society's interests in knowledge, innovation, health, culture, education and food security. Statutory exceptions and safeguards may not be restricted by an agreement contrary to public policy.
Article (9) — Electronic transactions
Applications, correspondence, certificates, registers, notices and decisions may be created, submitted, signed, paid for and stored electronically in accordance with the Electronic Signature and Electronic Transactions Law and applicable legislation. The official digital version has evidentiary force unless proven forged.
Article (10) — Language and translation
Applications shall be submitted in Arabic or Kurdish within their scope of official use, and a foreign-language version may be attached. The competent office may request a certified translation when necessary. An application shall not be rejected for a formal language defect if it can be remedied within the specified period.
Chapter Two — National administration, register and unified platform
Article (11) — Competent offices
Existing authorities responsible for patents and designs, trademarks and geographical indications, and copyright and related rights shall continue within their respective legal competences. This law creates no new independent agency unless a subsequent law provides for one.
Article (12) — National Committee for Intellectual Property and Innovation
A Council of Ministers decision shall establish a standing coordinating committee chaired by a senior Ministry of Planning representative and comprising the authorities responsible for industry, culture, higher education, agriculture, trade, health, finance, interior and communications. It shall coordinate policies, data and treaties without replacing registration authorities or the judiciary.
Article (13) — Committee secretariat
The Ministry of Planning shall provide the committee's secretariat using existing resources, prepare its agenda and annual report, and coordinate national indicators, treaty accession plans and technical cooperation. The committee shall have no separate staff establishment or budget.
Article (14) — Unified national platform
A unified national digital platform shall connect the competent offices and enable register searches, application submission, fee payment, transaction tracking, publication of disclosable decisions and data exchange with the judiciary, customs and oversight bodies under defined permissions and audit logs.
Article (15) — Unified rights identifier
Each application or registered right shall receive a unique national identifier verifiable electronically, to be used in government transactions, licences, pledges, assignments and border measures, without affecting previous registration numbers.
Article (16) — Service timeframes
Each competent authority shall publish target service times for each transaction type, its stages, examination requirements and general reasons for delay. Applicants must be notified of any material deficiency rather than having their applications left pending without a decision.
Article (17) — Fees
Fees shall be set by regulation in accordance with service costs and proportionality. Reductions may be granted to students, researchers, individual inventors, small enterprises and public universities, provided they do not compromise examination independence or service quality.
Article (18) — Publication and transparency
Registers shall publish the necessary details of rights, their legal status, deadlines and final decisions, while withholding trade secrets and unnecessary personal data. Search databases shall be publicly accessible without discrimination; a reasonable fee may be charged for certified copies.
Article (19) — Conflicts of interest
Examination and registration staff must disclose any personal or professional interest in an application before them and shall not participate where a conflict exists. Rules shall prevent unlawful dealings in unpublished information or provision of private services to applicants.
Article (20) — Use of experts
The competent office may engage experts, academic institutions or international examination offices on technical matters. The legal decision shall remain with the competent Iraqi authority, with confidentiality, independence and documentation of technical opinions ensured.
Article (21) — Administrative grievance
Any interested party may challenge an administrative decision through an administrative grievance within thirty days of notification, unless this law specifies another period. A reasoned decision shall be issued within sixty days; expiry without a decision constitutes rejection for purposes of judicial appeal.
Article (22) — Judicial appeal
Final administrative decisions are subject to appeal before the competent courts. Civil or commercial courts, according to judicial organization, shall hear disputes over ownership, infringement, compensation, licensing and contracts. The President of the Supreme Judicial Council may designate panels or judges with relevant expertise without establishing courts outside the judicial structure.
Chapter Three — Patents and utility models
Article (23) — Patent requirements
A patent shall be granted for any new invention involving an inventive step and capable of industrial application, whether concerning a product, process or specified technical use, provided disclosure is sufficient to enable a person skilled in the art to carry it out.
Article (24) — Novelty
An invention is new if it was not part of the prior art before the filing or priority date. Prior art includes everything made available to the public anywhere through description, use or any other demonstrable means.
Article (25) — Grace period
Disclosure by the inventor or successor, or resulting from abuse directed against them, shall be disregarded if it occurred within the twelve months preceding filing, provided the applicant identifies its source and date.
Article (26) — Exclusions from protection
Patents shall not be granted for abstract discoveries, scientific theories, mathematical methods or software as such; surgical, therapeutic or diagnostic methods applied to humans or animals; plants and animals other than microorganisms; or inventions whose commercial exploitation would contravene public policy, morality or public safety.
Article (27) — Computer-implemented inventions
Computer-implemented innovations shall not be excluded if they produce a measurable technical effect beyond execution of an algorithm or abstract business rule. They remain subject to all other patent requirements, without granting a monopoly over abstract ideas or equations.
Article (28) — Inventor and inventions assisted by automated systems
An inventor must be a natural person. Use of computational tools or artificial intelligence systems does not preclude a patent where the human inventive contribution can be identified and disclosure, novelty and inventive-step requirements are satisfied.
Article (29) — Entitlement to apply
The right to apply for a patent belongs to the inventor or successor. Where an invention is made within employment duties specifically involving research or innovation, the right belongs to the employer, preserving the inventor's right to be named and to fair remuneration under the contract or this law.
Article (30) — Employee inventions
Where innovation is not among an employee's duties but the invention substantially relied on the employer's resources or confidential information, the employer has priority to negotiate a fair licence within ninety days of internal disclosure; otherwise the right remains with the inventor.
Article (31) — Filing
A patent application shall include a request for grant, clear description, claims, drawings where necessary, an abstract and details of the inventor and applicant. A filing date shall be accorded when the elements sufficient to identify the invention are present, even if some formal requirements are completed later.
Article (32) — International priority
Priority claims shall be accepted under the Paris Convention and treaties in force. They must be substantiated within the prescribed periods and procedures. An application shall not be rejected solely because a priority document is late if it can be supplied under restoration-of-rights rules.
Article (33) — Patent Cooperation Treaty applications
The competent authority shall handle international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty according to applicable time limits and procedures, provide a digital national-phase pathway and use international search and examination reports without replacing the national decision.
Article (34) — Examination
Applications shall undergo formal and substantive examination, and applicants may be required to amend claims or provide clarification. Any full or partial refusal must state reasons and rest on identified prior art or a clear legal provision.
Article (35) — Publication
A patent application shall be published eighteen months after filing or priority unless withdrawn or subject to a lawful security measure. Early publication may be requested by the applicant. Non-confidential documents shall be publicly available electronically.
Article (36) — Observations and opposition
Third parties may submit technical observations on patentability before grant without automatically becoming parties to the proceedings. After grant, revocation may be sought before the competent authority or court on statutory grounds.
Article (37) — Patent holder's rights
The patent holder may prevent others from making, using, offering, selling or importing the protected product, or using the protected process and exploiting a product directly obtained from it, unless a statutory exception applies.
Article (38) — Exceptions
Private non-commercial use, experimental and research use, preparation of a medicine for an individual prescription in a pharmacy, acts necessary to obtain regulatory approval for a pharmaceutical product before patent expiry, and acts authorized by compulsory licensing or government use do not constitute infringement.
Article (39) — Exhaustion of rights and parallel imports
The right to prevent resale of a genuine product is exhausted after it is lawfully placed on the market by or with the consent of the right holder. Parallel imports of genuine products are permitted, subject to safety and sectoral regulation and without misleading consumers about warranties or commercial origin.
Article (40) — Patent term
A patent lasts twenty years from filing, subject to annual fees. A grace period with a surcharge may be granted before final lapse, while protecting third parties who began exploitation in good faith after lapse.
Article (41) — Compulsory licensing
A compulsory licence may be granted where an invention is not exploited or local demand is not met on reasonable terms after three years from grant or four years from filing, whichever is later; or to address emergencies, the public interest or anti-competitive conduct, subject to fair remuneration and judicial review.
Article (42) — Government use
The state or its designee may use a protected invention for public non-commercial purposes concerning health, security, emergencies or essential services, by reasoned decision, with notice to the right holder when circumstances permit and fair remuneration, without transferring patent ownership.
Article (43) — Patent revocation
A patent shall be revoked if essential requirements are absent, disclosure is insufficient, claims exceed the application's disclosure or unlawful procurement is established. Revocation shall be limited to the defect where valid independent claims can be retained.
Article (44) — Utility models
Simple technical innovations or functional improvements that are new and industrially applicable may be protected as utility models for ten years, through simplified examination and an inventiveness threshold lower than for patents. They exclude patent-ineligible subject matter and new medicines and chemicals unless a special provision states otherwise.
Chapter Four — Industrial designs and integrated circuits
Article (45) — Industrial design
A design is protected if it is new, has individual character and appears in a product's external form, ornamentation, lines, colours or configuration, excluding features dictated solely by technical function.
Article (46) — Designer's right
The right to register belongs to the designer or successor. Employment-invention rules apply to employee designs as appropriate. The designer shall be named unless omission is requested for legitimate reasons.
Article (47) — Multiple filing
An application may include multiple designs where the products belong to a single class or homogeneous group under the adopted classification, subject to the prescribed fee for each additional design.
Article (48) — Deferred publication
A design applicant may request deferred publication for up to twelve months from filing or priority to protect the confidentiality of a commercial launch, while preserving the underlying registration and priority.
Article (49) — Term of protection
Protection lasts five years from filing, renewable for two equivalent periods up to a maximum of fifteen years, with a renewal grace period under the regulation.
Article (50) — Scope of the right
The design holder may prevent others from commercially making, selling or importing a product embodying the design or not substantially differing from it. This does not cover private use, research, education or incidental depiction aboard a foreign means of transport.
Article (51) — Unregistered design
A design disclosed to the public in Iraq by its owner may be protected for one year against intentional identical or near-identical copying, without preventing an independent creator from producing a similar design without copying.
Article (52) — Integrated circuit layout-designs
An integrated circuit layout-design is protected if it is original, results from intellectual effort and was not commonplace among designers when created. The right is established by registration or first commercial exploitation as specified by regulation.
Article (53) — Term of circuit protection
Protection lasts ten years from first commercial exploitation or filing, whichever is earlier, and in all cases no more than fifteen years from creation.
Article (54) — Analysis and reverse engineering
Analysis of an integrated circuit layout-design for education, evaluation or creation of a new original design is not infringement. Nor is a good-faith acquirer of a product containing an unlawfully copied layout-design liable, provided reasonable remuneration is paid for subsequent quantities after notification.
Article (55) — Invalidation
Invalidation of an industrial design or circuit layout-design registration may be sought where novelty or originality is absent or registration was obtained in the name of someone other than the entitled person, with protection for good-faith licences to the extent determined by the court.
Article (56) — Overlap with copyright
A design may enjoy copyright protection if it meets the originality requirement. Industrial registration does not preclude concurrent protection unless the law expressly provides otherwise.
Article (57) — Classification and publication
The competent authority shall adopt appropriate international classifications by published decision and publish design and circuit applications and registrations in a searchable database without revealing information subject to deferred publication.
Chapter Five — Trademarks, geographical indications and trade names
Article (58) — Trademark
Any sign capable of distinguishing one undertaking's goods or services from another's may be registered, including words, names, drawings, letters, numbers, shapes, colours, distinctive combinations and sounds, where it can be represented clearly and precisely in the register.
Article (59) — Absolute grounds for refusal
Signs lacking distinctiveness, purely descriptive or generic signs, signs contrary to public policy, signs misleading as to origin or characteristics, signs incorporating state or international organization emblems without permission, and signs offending legally protected symbols shall not be registered.
Article (60) — Relative grounds for refusal
Registration shall be refused where an earlier identical or similar trademark creates a likelihood of confusion for related goods or services, or where the application is made in bad faith or detracts from a well-known mark or relevant earlier trade name.
Article (61) — Well-known marks
A mark well known in Iraq is protected even without registration where use by another would create confusion, unlawfully exploit its reputation or harm it, taking account of recognition among the relevant public and objective evidence.
Article (62) — Filing and examination
Trademark applications shall undergo formal and substantive examination. Accepted applications shall be published for a ninety-day opposition period. Refusal or acceptance of an opposition must be reasoned and open to administrative grievance and judicial appeal.
Article (63) — Trademark term
A trademark shall be registered for ten years from filing, renewable for equivalent periods without an upper limit while fees are paid and protection requirements remain satisfied.
Article (64) — Non-use
Revocation may be sought where a trademark has not been genuinely used in Iraq for three consecutive years without legitimate reason. Use by a licensee or affiliated company with the owner's consent counts as use by the owner.
Article (65) — Trademark licensing
Trademark use may be licensed wholly or partly. Registration is not required for the contract's validity between its parties, but the licence may be recorded to make it effective against third parties. The licensor must ensure a reasonable degree of quality control where its absence would mislead consumers.
Article (66) — Collective and certification marks
Collective and certification marks may be registered under rules of use specifying membership or certification conditions and oversight mechanisms. A certification body may not use its mark in trading the goods it certifies in a manner compromising independence.
Article (67) — Geographical indications
Names or signs identifying goods originating in a territory, region or place in or outside Iraq are protected where a quality, reputation or characteristic is essentially attributable to that origin. They may be registered collectively or through a body representing producers.
Article (68) — Prevention of misleading indications
Use of a geographical indication for goods not originating in the specified place is prohibited where it would mislead the public or constitute unfair competition. Cases of homonymous indications and earlier good-faith designations may be regulated while protecting consumer rights.
Article (69) — Trade names
A trade name is protected against misleading or confusing use even if not registered as a trademark, without prejudice to company and trade-name registration provisions in special laws.
Article (70) — Digital space and domain names
Bad-faith registration of a domain name identical or highly similar to a well-known trademark or name for resale, deception or attracting users constitutes infringement. It may be stopped, transferred or cancelled by court order or a recognized dispute-resolution mechanism.
Article (71) — Exhaustion of trademark rights
A trademark owner may not prevent resale of genuine goods placed on the market with their consent, unless their condition has changed or they have been repackaged in a manner that harms their origin or warranty or misleads consumers.
Article (72) — Priority
Application priority shall be accepted under the Paris Convention and treaties in force, subject to prescribed periods and conditions.
Article (73) — Singapore Treaty
Trademark formalities shall be interpreted consistently with Iraq's applicable obligations under the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. Excessive formal requirements unnecessary to establish identity or entitlement shall not be imposed.
Article (74) — Assignment and pledge
A trademark may be assigned or pledged with or without the undertaking, provided this does not mislead the public. The transaction shall be recorded in the register to be effective against third parties.
Article (75) — Trademark invalidation
A trademark shall be invalidated if registered contrary to substantive prohibitions or in bad faith. Partial invalidation for some goods or services is permissible where they can be separated.
Article (76) — Earlier rights
This chapter does not prejudice earlier rights in a person's or company's name, copyright, a design or a geographical indication. Priority, good faith and the nature of use shall be considered.
Article (77) — Commercial counterfeiting
Applying an identical or substantially indistinguishable mark to goods or packaging without the owner's consent for commercial circulation, creating a false impression of origin, constitutes prohibited counterfeiting.
Article (78) — Open register
The competent authority shall provide a digital database of trademarks, oppositions, renewals and revocations, helping market participants conduct prior searches and reduce disputes.
Chapter Six — Copyright and related rights
Article (79) — Automatic protection
Original literary, artistic and scientific works are protected upon creation and fixation in a perceptible form, without registration, deposit or any other formality.
Article (80) — Protected works
Protection covers books, research, articles, lectures, music, theatre, audiovisual works, photographs, art, architecture, maps, software, databases whose selection or arrangement of content is original, and other original forms of expression.
Article (81) — Matters not protected by copyright
Protection does not extend to ideas, principles, facts, methods, procedures, processes, systems or abstract data as such, nor to official texts of laws, decisions, judgments and government specifications within their official publication. Original commentaries or compilations may be protected.
Article (82) — Author
An author is a natural person who creates a work. A legal person may own economic rights by law or contract without being attributed the human act of authorship itself.
Article (83) — Automatically generated works
Copyright does not arise merely from generating automated content without an identifiable human creative contribution. Where automated tools form part of a human creative process, expressive elements resulting from human creative choices are protected under the general rules.
Article (84) — Moral rights
The author has the right to attribution and to object to substantial distortion or mutilation damaging their reputation. The essence of moral rights cannot be permanently waived, although their exercise after death may be regulated.
Article (85) — Economic rights
The right holder alone may authorize reproduction, distribution, making available to the public, public performance, broadcasting, translation, adaptation, alteration and commercial rental of software, sound recordings and other works specified by law.
Article (86) — Employee works
Authorship remains with the employee. Economic rights necessary for employment purposes pass to the employer to the extent required by the job or contract, unless otherwise agreed. The transfer does not extend to independent uses that were not reasonably foreseeable.
Article (87) — Joint and collective works
Exploitation of a joint work is governed by agreement among the authors; where contributions cannot be separated, the right is jointly held. For a collective work organized and published under a legal person's responsibility, economic rights in the collection belong to that person without prejudice to rights in independent contributions.
Article (88) — Term of protection
Economic rights last for the author's lifetime and fifty years beginning on the first of January following death. For joint works, the term is calculated from the death of the last surviving author. Anonymous, audiovisual or legally owned corporate works have a fifty-year term from publication or making available, as specified by regulation.
Article (89) — Voluntary registration
The competent centre may provide voluntary deposit or registration to establish dates, ownership and transactions. The certificate neither creates the right nor constitutes a condition for bringing proceedings.
Article (90) — Quotation, criticism and news
Quotation from a published work is permitted to the extent justified by criticism, research, education or reporting, acknowledging the source and author where practicable. Current news and facts that are not themselves original may be reported.
Article (91) — Education and research
Non-profit educational and research institutions may use reasonable portions of works for direct teaching or closed student platforms, to the extent required for education and without substituting for the work's normal market.
Article (92) — Libraries and archives
Public libraries and archives may copy works for preservation, replacement or limited research access where a reasonably available commercial copy cannot be obtained, with measures preventing unauthorized commercial distribution.
Article (93) — Accessible copies for persons with disabilities
Authorized entities may produce and exchange accessible-format copies for persons who are blind, visually impaired or print-disabled under the Marrakesh Treaty in force, without the right holder's permission, where non-profit use and safeguards against commercial leakage are ensured.
Article (94) — Text and data analysis
Universities and non-profit research centres may conduct automated text and data analysis on lawfully accessed materials for scientific research, keeping copies secure and unavailable outside the project. Commercial use requires licensing or another statutory exception.
Article (95) — Software and interoperability
A lawful user may copy software as necessary for operation or backup and analyse code where necessary for interoperability with an independently created program if the information is not available on reasonable terms, provided the results are not used to create a counterfeit copy.
Article (96) — Temporary technical copies
Transient or temporary copying is not infringement where it is an essential part of a technical process whose sole purpose is network transmission or enabling lawful use and has no independent economic value.
Article (97) — Orphan works
The competent centre may license use of a work whose right holder cannot be identified or located after a diligent, documented search, on fair terms and with funds reserved from commercial use for the right holder should they appear within the prescribed period.
Article (98) — Related rights
Performers, phonogram producers and broadcasting organizations enjoy rights in fixation, reproduction, distribution, making available and broadcasting of performances within the limits and terms specified by this law and its regulation, subject to educational, research and news exceptions.
Article (99) — Collective management
Collective rights may be collected only by a licensed entity subject to governance, transparency and audit requirements. It shall publish tariffs, distribution rules and administrative expenses and ensure fair treatment of right holders and users.
Article (100) — Contracts and licensing
Transfers of economic rights and exclusive licences must be in writing and specify the right, duration and scope. Ambiguous copyright-transfer terms shall be interpreted narrowly, preserving rights not expressly transferred by the author.
Article (101) — Copyright in architectural works
Protection of an architectural design shall not result in a court-ordered removal, demolition or structural alteration of a building where disproportionate, without prejudice to the author's right to compensation and prevention of future copying where appropriate.
Article (102) — Technological measures
Intentional circumvention of an effective technological measure to facilitate infringement of a protected right is prohibited. The prohibition does not cover good-faith cybersecurity, research, interoperability, disability access or statutory exceptions.
Article (103) — Rights management information
Electronic removal or alteration of rights management information to conceal or facilitate infringement is prohibited, except for lawful public-authority, security or research activities not intended to infringe the right.
Article (104) — Intermediary liability
An internet service provider is not liable for third-party content merely through transmission or automatic storage where it does not participate in infringement and follows a clear notice, removal and counter-notice procedure under the regulation. No general obligation to monitor all content shall be imposed.
Chapter Seven — Trade secrets and undisclosed information
Article (105) — Trade secret
Protection covers information with commercial value because it is not generally known or readily accessible to those who normally handle that type of information, where its holder has taken reasonable confidentiality measures. This includes formulas, processes, lists, plans and technical and commercial data.
Article (106) — Unlawful acts
Acquiring, using or disclosing a trade secret through theft, bribery, fraud, breach of confidentiality, systems intrusion or any means contrary to honest commercial practices is prohibited.
Article (107) — Lawful acts
Independent discovery, reverse engineering of a lawfully acquired product, use of an employee's general experience and skills, and disclosure necessary to reveal corruption, crime or health or safety risks under public-interest safeguards do not constitute infringement.
Article (108) — Protection of secrets in litigation
Courts may protect confidential information during proceedings through measures including partly closed hearings, restricted access and redacted judgments, while guaranteeing defence rights and not concealing the basis of the judicial decision.
Article (109) — Data submitted to regulators
Undisclosed data submitted to obtain authorization for a pharmaceutical or chemical product are protected against unfair commercial use and unjustified disclosure, without preventing public authorities from relying on scientific standards or taking public-health measures.
Article (110) — Confidentiality agreements
Non-disclosure duties shall be interpreted according to their legitimate purpose. They may not prevent an employee from reporting a legal violation, using general skills or practising their profession after the relationship ends, except to protect a specific secret within lawful competition restrictions.
Article (111) — Term of protection
Trade-secret protection continues while secrecy, value and reasonable measures remain present. It ends when the information becomes lawfully known or loses secrecy without infringement.
Article (112) — Interim protection
An urgent order may prevent disclosure or use of a trade secret where an imminent risk exists, subject to balancing harm and the apparent merits of the claim and requiring security where necessary.
Article (113) — Compensation
Compensation for trade-secret infringement shall reflect harm, unlawful profit and reasonable licensing value. The court may adopt any fairer criterion supported by the available evidence.
Article (114) — Coordination with cybersecurity
Secret protection does not prejudice statutory cyber-incident reporting duties, national security requirements or regulatory oversight. The receiving authority must preserve confidentiality to the lawful extent.
Chapter Eight — Plant varieties, genetic resources and traditional knowledge
Article (115) — Requirements for variety protection
A plant variety is protected if it is new, distinct, uniform and stable and has a suitable denomination. The breeder shall receive a certificate of rights following technical examination or recognized examination results.
Article (116) — Right holder
The right belongs to the breeder or successor. A breeder may be a natural or legal person who oversaw the breeding of the variety or discovered and developed it in accordance with the law.
Article (117) — Term of protection
Variety protection lasts twenty years from grant, and twenty-five years for trees and vines, subject to prescribed fees and maintenance of the variety.
Article (118) — Breeder's rights
Producing, reproducing, preparing, offering for sale, selling, exporting or importing propagating material of a protected variety requires the right holder's consent, subject to statutory exceptions.
Article (119) — Research and breeding exception
Private non-commercial use, experimental use and use of the variety to produce new varieties require no consent, except for an essentially derived variety as defined by regulation.
Article (120) — Farmers' privilege
Small farmers may retain a reasonable quantity of the harvest of a protected variety for replanting on their own holdings, under rules issued in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture. This does not extend to commercial sale of propagating material labelled with the protected variety's name.
Article (121) — Food security
A compulsory licence to exploit a protected variety may address severe shortages, food-security threats or the public agricultural interest, with fair remuneration for the right holder and expedited procedures open to appeal.
Article (122) — Genetic resources
Where an invention or variety directly depends on a specific genetic resource or traditional knowledge, a patent or variety-right applicant must disclose its known source and demonstrate compliance with applicable access and benefit-sharing requirements. A formal error alone shall not invalidate an otherwise valid right unless accompanied by material fraud.
Article (123) — Traditional knowledge
Known traditional knowledge or a natural genetic resource may not be registered as an invention merely because it has been discovered. Voluntary defensive databases may be established to prevent invalid patent grants, respecting local communities' confidentiality.
Article (124) — Denominations
A variety denomination must permit identification and not mislead as to characteristics or origin. It shall remain available for general use to identify the variety even after the right expires.
Article (125) — Technical examination
National field tests or examination results from reliable foreign authorities under cooperation agreements may be recognized, provided the Iraqi authority can require additional testing where necessary.
Article (126) — Revocation
A variety right shall be revoked where distinctness, uniformity or stability was absent at grant, or the holder can no longer provide material enabling verification that the variety is maintained.
Chapter Nine — State-funded research, innovation and technology transfer
Article (127) — Scope of public research
This chapter applies to inventions, designs, software, varieties, secrets and know-how resulting wholly or partly from direct government funding of a research project at a university, research centre or public body, unless a special law establishes an arrangement better suited to the public interest.
Article (128) — Disclosure of results
Researchers or their teams must notify the institution of a protectable or commercially viable result within a reasonable period before public disclosure could compromise protection. The institution may not delay academic publication for more than ninety days except for an exceptional legal necessity.
Article (129) — Institutional ownership
Economic rights in state-funded research results belong to the public institution where the research was conducted if it makes a reasoned decision to undertake protection and commercialization within one hundred and eighty days of disclosure. Inventor or author status remains with the individuals concerned.
Article (130) — Reversion to the researcher
If the institution decides not to seek protection or makes no decision within the period, the right may revert to the researcher on request. The state retains a royalty-free, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for public non-commercial purposes connected to the funded project.
Article (131) — Innovator's share
Inventors or creators collectively are entitled to at least thirty per cent of the institution's net revenue from licensing or selling the right after direct protection and commercialization costs are deducted. Institutional policy may grant a higher share.
Article (132) — Allocation of the institutional share
Remaining net revenue shall be allocated under a published policy to support the laboratory or department, research, innovation and intellectual property management expenses. It may not be distributed as administrative bonuses unrelated to achievement.
Article (133) — Technology transfer offices
Universities and centres may establish individual or shared technology transfer offices or contract a licensed professional office. An independent unit is not mandatory where scale does not justify it. The office shall handle evaluation, protection, commercialization, negotiation and conflict-of-interest management.
Article (134) — Spin-offs
Public universities and centres may license start-ups founded by or involving researchers following professional assessment, published terms and full conflict-of-interest disclosure. Exclusive licences may be granted only where necessary to attract investment or develop the technology.
Article (135) — State intervention rights
Where a state-funded right is exclusively licensed and the licensee makes insufficient reasonable development efforts, or an urgent health, security or environmental need remains unmet, the funding body may seek an additional licence on fair terms after notice and independent review.
Article (136) — Research publications and data
Intellectual property may not be used to justify withholding publicly funded research results without cause. Funding bodies shall adopt open-access policies for publications and non-confidential data after appropriate periods, protecting privacy, security, secrets and opportunities to register rights.
Article (137) — Joint projects
Before a joint research project begins, its contracts must define ownership of results and background knowledge, publication and licensing rights, data access and revenue sharing. State-funded results may not be transferred free to a private partner without consideration or a documentable public benefit.
Article (138) — Private universities
Private universities and colleges shall establish written intellectual property policies accessible to researchers and students. They may adopt differing ownership and revenue-sharing models, subject to advance disclosure and without appropriating students' rights merely because they are enrolled.
Article (139) — Student rights
A student's innovation belongs to the student unless they are employed on the project or used substantial funding or resources under a written agreement providing otherwise. Ordinary use of teaching laboratories and general university services alone is insufficient to transfer ownership.
Article (140) — Assessment before expenditure
An institution shall incur substantial international registration costs only after technical and commercial assessment identifies potential protection markets and licensing opportunities. The Patent Cooperation Treaty may be used to defer selection of target countries within legal deadlines.
Article (141) — National register of commercially viable results
The national platform shall provide an optional section for technologies available for licensing from universities and centres, including non-confidential descriptions, protection status and contact details, connecting researchers with companies without revealing secrets before contracting.
Article (142) — International research cooperation
Public bodies may enter international research or technology transfer agreements under applicable laws, addressing ownership of results, Iraq's rights of domestic use, security, privacy and funding requirements, without granting exclusivity broader than necessary for the project.
Chapter Ten — Licensing, commercialization, technology transfer and competition
Article (143) — Regulated freedom of contract
Right holders may enter licensing, franchise, technology transfer, manufacturing and know-how agreements under freedom of contract, while any term contrary to public policy or intended unlawfully to restrict competition is void.
Article (144) — Minimum content of a technology transfer agreement
A technology transfer agreement shall specify the technology, scope of rights, territory, duration, consideration, confidentiality, technical warranties, training where needed, performance standards, ownership of improvements, dispute resolution and applicable law.
Article (145) — Competition-restricting terms
Exclusivity, tying, non-compete, pricing, market-allocation and uncompensated assignment of all licensee improvements are subject to competition-law assessment. Such terms are not automatically void where necessary and proportionate to technology transfer.
Article (146) — Voluntary contract registration
Licensing and technology transfer agreements may be recorded in a non-public register to give certain effects against third parties or for statistical purposes. Recording is not a condition of validity except for transactions affecting proprietary rights where required by law.
Article (147) — Government technology licensing
A public body may license foreign technology only after examining needs and alternatives and specifying ownership of improvements, maintenance rights, access to documentation and training, in compliance with public procurement and public-funds protection rules.
Article (148) — Localization and knowledge transfer
Government and investment contracts may include reasonable training, knowledge-transfer and capacity-building requirements where connected to the contract, announced in advance, proportionate and non-discriminatory. They shall not require confiscation of rights or disclosure of secrets beyond what is needed.
Article (149) — Standards-related licensing
Where a patent is essential to an adopted technical standard and a commitment has been made to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, the right holder and prospective licensee must negotiate in good faith. The standard's nature and both parties' conduct shall be considered when determining judicial measures.
Article (150) — Valuation of intellectual assets
Financial institutions and investors may recognize intellectual property as an asset capable of valuation and pledging under secured-transactions and banking laws. Regulations shall specify recording, priority and enforcement procedures for security interests without conflicting with the competent registers.
Article (151) — Improvements
Unless otherwise agreed, an improvement developed by a licensee belongs to its creator, preserving the licensor's original rights. A fair cross-licence may be granted where the improvement cannot be exploited without the underlying technology.
Article (152) — Transfer of sensitive technology
This law does not preclude application of export-control, national security, data-protection and dual-use technology laws. Restrictions must be legally defined, reasoned and reviewable and shall not conceal commercial interests.
Article (153) — Mediation and arbitration
Parties may agree to mediation or arbitration of contractual disputes concerning intellectual property and technology transfer, unless the dispute concerns validity of a right that only a competent Iraqi authority or court may determine. A court may temporarily stay proceedings to permit settlement.
Chapter Eleven — Enforcement, judicial remedies and border measures
Article (154) — Proportionate enforcement
Intellectual property enforcement procedures shall be fair, expeditious and proportionate and shall not create unjustified barriers to legitimate trade, expression or research. The seriousness of infringement, good faith and the right holder's conduct shall be considered.
Article (155) — Jurisdiction and evidence
A court may require a party to produce evidence under its control where reasonably identified by the requesting party and material to the dispute, protecting secrets and personal data and preventing disproportionate, broad discovery requests.
Article (156) — Interim orders
An interim order may stop imminent infringement, preserve evidence or prevent dealings in suspect goods where a substantial claim, urgency and risk of harm exist. The court may require security to protect the defendant against a vexatious application.
Article (157) — Civil search orders
Private premises may not be entered or equipment seized in a civil dispute without a specific judicial order identifying the place, items and grounds, executed in a manner protecting secrets and fundamental rights and remaining within necessity.
Article (158) — Civil compensation
The right holder shall be awarded compensation for proven harm, potentially based on lost profits, the infringer's profits or a reasonable royalty, as justice requires, without duplicate recovery for the same harm.
Article (159) — Good faith
Where an infringer neither knew nor could reasonably have been expected to know of the right, the court may reduce monetary compensation while ordering cessation, except in cases of counterfeit trademarks or clear commercial copying.
Article (160) — Costs and expert fees
A losing party may be ordered to pay reasonable costs and expert or legal fees where its conduct is abusive, the claim vexatious or the defence groundless, while respecting access to justice and avoiding deterrence of persons with limited resources from protecting legitimate rights.
Article (161) — Disposal of goods
A court may order destruction of counterfeit goods, removal of the infringing feature or withdrawal from commercial channels where sufficient. Destruction is not automatic where donation or reuse is possible after infringement is removed without consumer risk.
Article (162) — Equipment
Equipment used in infringement shall be confiscated only where primarily dedicated to that purpose or where recurrence cannot be prevented by less restrictive means. The rights of good-faith owners and secured creditors shall be respected.
Article (163) — Criminal penalties
Anyone who knowingly and intentionally counterfeits trademarks or pirates works on a large commercial scale for profit shall be punished under the Penal Code or special provisions. Minor civil errors and reasonable disputes about a right's scope shall not be criminalized.
Article (164) — Border measures
Holders of trademark, copyright or another right eligible for border protection may request suspension of release of a consignment reasonably suspected of counterfeiting or piracy under customs law, after providing appropriate information and security.
Article (165) — Customs powers
Customs may act on its own initiative in clear cases under the law, notifying the right holder and importer and allowing prompt objections. Procedures shall ordinarily exclude non-commercial personal luggage and negligible quantities.
Article (166) — Duration of suspension
Suspension shall be lifted if the right holder fails to obtain a judicial order or initiate the required procedure within the statutory period, unless a judge extends it for a legitimate reason. The importer shall be compensated for harm where abuse of the procedure is established.
Article (167) — Genuine pharmaceutical products
Border measures shall not prevent transit or import of a lawful genuine medicine merely because of an unresolved civil patent dispute, unless there is an enforceable court order, counterfeiting risk or safety concern.
Article (168) — Inter-agency cooperation
Customs, competent offices and databases shall be linked through secure channels to confirm rights status. Confidential commercial information may not be published or used beyond enforcement purposes.
Article (169) — Digital notice procedures
Competent authorities shall establish a standard electronic infringement notice identifying the right, content and online location and including a good-faith statement. The affected user may submit a counter-notice leading to restoration of content unless the right holder brings proceedings within the prescribed period.
Article (170) — Prevention of enforcement abuse
A court may award compensation against anyone using intellectual property procedures in bad faith to suppress legitimate criticism, obstruct a competitor, seize genuine goods or make repeated groundless threats, while respecting legitimate access to courts.
Article (171) — Limitation period
A compensation claim for infringement shall not be heard after three years from the right holder's knowledge of the infringement and responsible party. This does not prevent an injunction against continuing infringement while the right subsists. Longer periods apply to fraud under general law.
Chapter Twelve — International obligations, transitional and final provisions
Article (172) — Treaties in force
International intellectual property treaties in force in Iraq apply in accordance with the Constitution and law. National provisions shall, as far as possible, be interpreted consistently with them without creating an international obligation Iraq has not ratified.
Article (173) — Current treaties
Competent authorities shall particularly observe Iraq's applicable obligations under the Paris Convention, Patent Cooperation Treaty, Singapore Treaty, Marrakesh Treaty, Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization and any treaty subsequently entering into force through proper procedures.
Article (174) — World Trade Organization
The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights shall bind Iraq only from the date of its World Trade Organization membership. Competent authorities shall nevertheless use its standards as a reform reference insofar as they serve the national interest and accession process.
Article (175) — Treaty accession studies
Before recommending accession to a new treaty, the National Committee shall prepare impact studies covering creators, medicines, agriculture, small enterprises, administration, courts, fees and trade. This law does not automatically authorize accession.
Article (176) — Pending applications
Applications and rights existing when this law takes effect shall continue. New procedural provisions apply from entry into force unless they impair an acquired right or a protection period begun under the previous law.
Article (177) — Registered rights
Patents, trademarks, designs, variety rights and other certificates granted before entry into force remain valid until their terms expire. Renewal, invalidation and enforcement are governed by this law unless retroactive application would be more onerous for the right holder.
Article (178) — Existing contracts
Licensing and technology transfer agreements in force remain valid. Mandatory competition, public-interest and enforcement provisions apply from entry into force without invalidating financial rights accrued for the preceding period.
Article (179) — Implementing regulations
The Council of Ministers, ministers and competent bodies shall issue necessary regulations and instructions within twelve months, each within its competence. Previous instructions may continue insofar as consistent with this law until replaced.
Article (180) — Digital transformation
The unified national platform shall be implemented in stages over twenty-four months, beginning with core registers and search, filing and payment services. Paper channels shall remain temporarily available to groups or regions unable to access digital services.
Article (181) — Funding
Implementation shall be funded from competent bodies' existing appropriations, service fees, budget-approved allocations and lawful technical assistance. This law creates neither an independent fund nor an open-ended financial commitment without appropriation.
Article (182) — Costs and implementation plan
Within one hundred and eighty days, competent authorities shall prepare a three-year implementation plan specifying costs of digitization, training, examination and judicial and border interconnection, funding sources and performance indicators. It shall be submitted to the Council of Ministers and its summary published.
Article (183) — Repeal of previous legislation
From full entry into force, the Patents and Industrial Designs Law No. 65 of 1970, as amended; the Trademarks and Trade Descriptions Law No. 21 of 1957, as amended; and the Copyright Protection Law No. 3 of 1971, as amended, are repealed, preserving previous effects and rights under the transitional provisions.
Article (184) — Conflicting provisions
Any provision conflicting with this law is repealed to the extent of conflict. Company, customs, competition, consumer-protection, data, cybersecurity and scientific research laws remain unaffected except as expressly provided here.
Article (185) — Entry into force
This law shall be published in the Official Gazette and take effect twelve months after publication, except provisions concerning regulations, the implementation plan and National Committee, which take effect upon publication.
Statement of reasons
This law is enacted to modernize intellectual property legislation and unify its principles and procedures; strengthen scientific research, innovation, investment and technology transfer; balance creators' and inventors' rights with the public interest, competition, health and education; align national procedures with treaties in force and Iraq's integration into the international trading system; and provide a legal basis for commercialization of state-funded research results and governance of licensing and intellectual assets.
Explanatory memorandum
1. Why a unified law?
Amending a patent law alone does not resolve fragmentation across trademarks, copyright and university technology, while amending each law separately leaves differences in procedures, terminology and digital integration. The draft therefore unifies general rules, enforcement and transition while retaining executive responsibilities across existing bodies. The unity is legislative and digital, rather than administrative centralization.
2. Research and the economy
For the first time, the law provides a clear general model for state-funded results: disclosure, institutional decision, reversion to the researcher where the institution is not interested, a minimum innovator share of net revenue, state rights of public use and regulation of spin-offs. These rules reduce disputes among researchers, universities and commercial partners and turn a patent from a certificate on the wall into a licensable asset.
3. Balance with health, education and competition
Strong protection does not mean absolute monopoly. The draft provides controlled compulsory licensing and government use; research, education and disability-access exceptions; exhaustion for genuine goods; a regulatory exception for medicines before patent expiry; and safeguards against abusive enforcement. These are essential balancing mechanisms, not incidental exceptions.
4. The digital environment
The draft recognizes digital applications and certificates and establishes rules for online content, intermediaries, technological measures, text and data analysis and software. It specifies that authors and inventors must be human while permitting automated systems as tools. The aim is to avoid a legislative vacuum without granting exclusive rights to automated outputs devoid of human creativity.
5. International relations
The law distinguishes existing from future obligations. Iraq is a party to Paris, the PCT, Singapore and Marrakesh and a WIPO member, while WTO accession remains in progress. The draft therefore treats TRIPS as a standard useful in accession preparation rather than an obligation already in force, preserving flexibilities serving Iraq's interests.
Financial and Implementation Implications
The draft creates neither an independent agency nor a new fund, concentrating costs on three measurable areas: upgrading registers and the shared platform, training examiners and judicial and border personnel, and connecting data. It requires a three-year cost plan within 180 days rather than inserting a financial figure unsupported by an implementation study.
Costs can be reduced by reusing existing government digital infrastructure, proportionate fees, lawful technical cooperation with WIPO and others, and shared technology transfer offices across universities rather than requiring each institution to create a complete unit.
Legislative transition
Preparatory provisions take effect upon publication, with full entry into force after twelve months. During that period, regulations are issued, digital links established and registers reviewed. Articles (176–178) preserve existing rights, applications and contracts so that replacing the law does not invalidate a proper registration. At full entry into force, the three principal laws are repealed to the extent addressed by the new law.
International reference framework and comparative value
| Reference | Iraq's status | Reflection in the draft |
|---|---|---|
| Paris Convention | In force since 1976 | Priority, treatment and industrial property rules |
| Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) | In force since 30 April 2022 | Explicit national-phase and international application procedures |
| Singapore Treaty | In force since 29 November 2014 | Simplified trademark formalities without excessive requirements |
| Marrakesh Treaty | In force since 23 July 2024 | Clear exception for accessible-format copies and their exchange |
| WTO / TRIPS | Iraq remains in the accession process | Reform reference, not an existing membership obligation |
The draft does not presume Iraqi membership of the Berne Convention, Madrid or Hague systems or UPOV, nor automatically authorize government accession. Any later accession must be preceded by an impact study and the required legislation or constitutional procedure.
Sources and references
- Constitution of the Republic of Iraq — Iraqi Council of RepresentativesArticles 25 and 26 on economic reform and investment promotion, and Article 34/Third on scientific research and innovation.
- WIPO Lex — Iraq profileLists the principal current laws: Trademarks Law No. 21 of 1957, as amended; Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971; and Patents Law No. 65 of 1970.
- WIPO Lex — Patents Law No. 65 of 1970The foundational patent and design framework, with subsequent amendments.
- WIPO Lex — Order 81 of 2004Expanded the Patents Law to cover undisclosed information, integrated circuits and plant varieties.
- WIPO Lex — Law 58 of 2015Fourth amendment to the Patents Law, effective from January 2016.
- WIPO Lex — Trademarks Law No. 21 of 1957, as amended through 2010The current framework for trademarks, names and geographical indications.
- Ministry of Justice — Copyright Protection Law and amendmentsAn official translated version referring to Copyright Law No. 3 of 1971 and its amendments.
- WIPO Lex — Copyright amendment of 2004Introduced extensive amendments concerning digital rights, protection and enforcement.
- WIPO — Treaties in force for IraqConfirms entry into force of the Paris Convention, PCT, Singapore Treaty, Marrakesh Treaty and WIPO Convention.
- WIPO — Iraq intellectual property profileIdentifies Iraq's principal national intellectual property offices.
- Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control — Patent DirectorateNational services and registers for patents, designs and PCT applications.
- Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control — June 2026 reportRecent indicators of patent and design application and examination activity.
- Ministry of Higher Education — Turning knowledge into economic valueA recent indication of the priority given to transferring university knowledge and technology to productive sectors.
- WTO — Iraq accession statusIraq remains in the World Trade Organization accession process; TRIPS commitments are therefore not treated as obligations of current membership.
- WTO — Resumption of Iraq accession negotiations, 2024Explains the resumption of accession working-party activity and review of the legislative action plan.
The document relies on official or international texts and pages available through 7 October 2026. If a translated version or database conflicts with the text published in the Iraqi Gazette, the official text in force prevails.
Ali Zuweid’s Political Programme · POL-47 · Version 1.0