Petroleum Business Review

Abstract Understanding the interplay between intellectual property (IP) rights and competition law in the context of technology transfer in the Iranian oil industry is a point this work discusses. While intellectual property rights enjoy a historical record and appropriate rules in this regard, the competition rights in Iran are taking their initial steps. This imbalance stems from forming the legal system of oil in Iran based on contractual frameworks over time. The nagging problem to elaborate in this article is that technology transfer can be expected to occur when legal organizations concerning the relevant industries have already defined the type and purpose of technology transfer. Moreover, the general targeting in the upstream laws alone cannot meet the legal requirements for appropriate technology transfer. Therefore, when even one of the mentioned factors does not exist, one cannot expect constructive interaction in the above-mentioned legal systems.