[In His Most Exalted Name
Holy presence of Grand Ayatullah Imam Khomeini- May his presence endures,
With greetings of peace and health, a sacred decree" fatwa" has been quoted from Your Eminence that royalty of publishing is not fixed in your opinion. Some of the publishers, based on the previously mentioned decree, have printed books without payment of royalty and without undergoing expenditures of typesetting, and publish them at a lower price. This has resulted in losses for the original publisher and discouragement of the publishers. Therefore, please state:
Firstly, whether the above-mentioned quote is correct or not?
Secondly, in case the decree is quoted correctly, considering that in the laws of the Islamic Republic the royalty of printing and publication is still protected, is the action of some of the publishers that were stated legal? Does the sacred office of the religious jurisprudent have a role to play in this instance?]
In His Most Exalted Name
The right of printing and publication in the sense that a person has printed and published a book, so that no other person has the right by laying hands on the original manuscript, to reprint and to republish, it is not lawful. However, if it is expedient for the Islamic government and it has drafted certain regulations in this regard, it is necessary to observe it. «1»
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini