KARBALA: PERSIANS PIRATING PUBLICATIONS

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003149 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA-I ECON PLEASE PASS TO USTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON KIPR IQ IZ SUBJECT: KARBALA: PERSIANS PIRATING PUBLICATIONS This is a PRT Karbala Reporting Cable ¶1. (SBU) A QRF project to provide a number of badly needed English engineering books to the Provincial Engineering Department illustrates Iran's violation of intellectual property rights. Of the 175 titles delivered by a local supplier to the PRT for inspection, all were counterfeits. Although all initially appeared to be the genuine article with the proper hardcover and credentials, the pages were of inferior photocopy-quality upon closer inspection, and in addition, each features a frontispiece in Farsi describing the contents. The insert identifies the producer as "Norpardazan" of the Asfand Publications of Mashhad, Iran. One of the volumes titled "Engineering Mechanics: Statics" by J.L. Meriam and L.G. Kraige, fifth edition, published by John Wiley and Sons and currently retailing USD25 in the United States, was listed for 32,000 Iranian riyals, or approximately $3.60. ¶2. (SBU) The supplier referred to us by the Engineering Department naturally disavowed knowingly providing us with a pirated publication while charging us the full-freight fare. We insisted to the Engineering Department that the PRT would only deal with genuine vendors, and will not pay for any of the 175 knockoffs. The PRT will closely examine all the other books to be provided by a new vendor. We will report again should any more Persian counterfeits appear. CROCKER