A Comparative Study of "Pre-emption Right" in the Common Law and Civil Law Systems and Iranian Legal System

Pre-emption right enables the beneficiaries so that they can own the property subject to the right which is sold or is going to be sold. Studying this right in the laws of other countries can be heuristic in domestic law. This research is conducted through a descriptive-analytic method. Briefly speaking, pre-emption right in the common law legal system is divided into two types of rights namely "right of first refusal" and "right of first offer" which have legal or contractual origin. These rights are considered at the pre-contractual stage and despite the similar function with the concept of the right of ‘’shuf'ah’’ in domestic law, are fundamentally different it. The legal entity of "droits de preemption" in French law is similar to the "pre-emption right" in common law. The entity of "Vorerwerbsrecht" in German law is more close to the entity of right of "shuf'ah". In both entities, the right is created after the sale of the property to the customer, and with a little tolerance, they can be considered the same. The contract of right of shuf'ah and the contract of pre-emption right as in the context of the Common Law and Civil Law are valid in law of Iran.