Iran
Are Iran stamps public domain?
Iranian stamps issued in 1995 or earlier are public domain, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. Iran's 1970 copyright law ends protection 30 years after publication for a work owned by a legal person, and Commons counts Iran Post as one. The cutoff moves forward each January.
Why 1995?
Article 16 of Iran's 1970 Law for the Protection of Authors, Composers and Artists Rights limits protection to 30 years from publication when a work belongs to a legal person.1 Commons says Iran Post holds the copyright in Iranian stamps as a legal person. It frees stamps published before March 22 of the year 30 years back, which in 2026 is March 22, 1996, and names a license tag for them.12 The archive counts whole calendar years from the end of the year of issue, so it marks stamps from 1995 or earlier as free and does not yet follow Commons for stamps issued from January 1 to March 21, 1996. Commons also notes a 1930 agreement with Germany, still in force, under which German protection applies to Iranian works in Germany.1
Postal history and copyright
According to Wikipedia, the first stamps were printed in Tehran in 1868 in four values, from a design close to essays by Albert Barre.3 British Indian post offices worked in Persian ports from 1864 until 1923, and Russian post offices in the north from 1908 to 1918, each using its own country's stamps.3 Commons' note on Iranian stamps names Iran Post as the owner and does not say whether earlier postal administrations count as the same legal person; the question is open. The archive files issues from 1868 to 1935 under Persia and applies the same 30-year rule to them.
References 3
- ↑ Copyright rules for Iran. Wikimedia Commons, September 3, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Iran). Wikimedia Commons, December 16, 2022. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Iran. Wikipedia, January 6, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
Copyright law in Iran
Iran’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.
- Named designer
- 50 years after the designer’s death
- Older stamps
- A stamp already in the public domain stayed there when the term was extended.
- Note
- Stamps belong to Iran Post and are public domain 30 years after issue, the term for work owned by an organization. The term before the 2010 extension is not recorded.
Historical issuers read under this law: Bushire, Persian Socialist Republic.
Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Iran, revision 1271778518, checked October 8, 2026
The rule by period
The same rule covers Persia.
Iran stamps and the public domain: questions
- Are Iranian stamps public domain?
- It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Iranian stamps issued in 1995 or earlier are public domain in 2026, because Iran's 1970 copyright law ends protection 30 years after publication for a work owned by a legal person such as Iran Post. The cutoff moves forward each January.
- Are old Persian stamps public domain?
- Yes, in the archive's reading. The archive files Iranian issues from 1868 to 1935 under Persia and applies the same 30-year rule to them, so all of them are public domain. Commons does not say whether earlier postal administrations count as the same legal person as Iran Post.
- Who owns the copyright in Iranian stamps?
- Iran Post, as a legal person, in the archive's reading. Under Article 16 of Iran's 1970 copyright law, a work owned by a legal person is protected for 30 years from publication, so Iranian stamps issued in 1995 or earlier are free in 2026. Whether earlier postal administrations count as the same legal person is an open question.