Effective enforcement of the existing Copyright Act is urgently required to encourage innovation and creativity, said speakers at a workshop yesterday.
Speaking at a training workshop, organised for the Bangladesh Police by Bangladesh Copyright and IP Forum (BCIPF) and the Copyright Office of the cultural affairs ministry, the discussants said the people involved in the vicious cycle of piracy were not aware of the consequences of copyright violation.
Active involvement of the law enforcement agencies would reduce the piracy rate in the country and ensure proper evaluation of the citizens’ creative minds, they added.
Cultural Affairs Secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas, the chief guest at the workshop, said: “Law enforcement agencies should be made more aware of the copyright situation in Bangladesh. It will generate awareness among the people. Public and private entities together should play their due role.”
BCIPF Trustee Board President Kazi Zahin Hasan, BCIPF Chief Executive ABM Hamidul Mishbah, Deputy Managing Director of Probashi Kallyan Bank & copyright specialist Md Manzurur Rahman, Deputy Registrar of Copyright Office Zohra Begum and Consultant to Business Software Alliance Iftekhar Taher Tanvir were present in the workshop.
BCIPF Chief Executive Mishbah said: “Frequent practice of software piracy cheats our innovators and creators. Piracy restrains their enthusiasm too. Law enforcement agencies should come forward to control the software piracy situation accordingly.”
Representatives from the Bangladesh Police, as well as officials from government agencies and the Copyright Office participated in the training workshop.
