Join us in keeping the Encyclopædia Iranica free for all time
Dr. Ehsan Yarshater devoted much of his life to giving us the Encyclopædia Iranica, and he continues to protect it today, having founded the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation to make the Encyclopædia free and accessible online to scholars and the public. We have a simple purpose: To further Iranian studies and ensure the longevity and vitality of the Encyclopædia as a vibrant scholarly resource.
Columbia University now inaccurately claims that Dr. Yarshater never owned the intellectual property rights to the Encyclopædia he created, edited and published. It has seized records and resources from the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation and filed a lawsuit against us to bully us into capitulating. We believe that this litigation is a precursor in an attempt to profit off of the Encyclopædia and see this as a threat to independent scholars and academics everywhere.
The Foundation remains firmly committed to providing free online access to the Encyclopædia. We are determined to retain our intellectual property and advance the broader mission envisioned by Dr. Yarshater — to sponsor and support research programs and academics furthering the field of Iranian studies.
We hope that you will join us in standing up to Columbia University to ensure a free and accessible online Encyclopædia Iranica — and for the broader right of scholars and academics everywhere to own their work and share it openly.