 Article 30 of the law provides that any inventor or discoverer who holds an unexpired patent certificate outside Iran may apply for a patent in Iran valid for the remaining duration of the original one.But if a person or firm has used the invention or discovery in Iran—wholly or partially—prior to the foreigner’s application or has made preparations to exploit the same, the foreign patentee will not have the right to stop the operation of said person or firm.The "Law of Registration of Patents, Industrial Designs and Trademarks" was first passed by the Iranian parliament on 23 January 2008 for a probationary period of five years, effective from May 5, 2008.