In the current age, when one technology is supplanted by another, the patent and design law of the country is 100 years old.
But in 2016, a new patent and design law was given approval in cabinet which is currently at the ministry for assessment.
Specialists say that this indicates that intellectual right is unimportant but since the right does not exist, many are deprived of countless facilities.
Registrar of patent, design and trademark, Mohammad Sanwar Hossain, told Bangla Tribune: “we are trying and hopefully, this law will be enacted this year.”
Bangladesh has been elevated to a middle income status and when we talk with developed states they ask us to be prepared to pay royalty.
Bangladesh and other Least Developed Countries, LDCs, will get special facility under WTO till 2022 for patent and a total waiver for medicines till 2033.
This means, during this time, any medicine discovered abroad can be produced in Bangladesh without any royalty.
As per the statistics of UNCTAD, the patent registration in Bangladesh
is very low which is fourth form bottom among all countries. Kenya, Mozambique and Zimbabwee are below Bangladesh.
UNCTAD says that in 2016, 304 patents were registered in Bangladesh while in 1980, Vietnam, which had a far worse economy than Bangladesh had more than 5000 patents.
Sanwar Hossain, says: “our education does not encourage new innovations but the government is encouraging the universities to carry out more research and innovations.”
Special fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue, CPD, Debapriya Bhatyacharya, said: “the importance of intellectual property is immense in the current world; Microsoft and Google are carrying out billion Dollar business to preserve intellectual property.”
Debarpiya Bhatyacharya, added: “in the current world, geographical indication is important and we have to be aware of the significance of intellectual property rights.”
Through geographical indication we can register Hilsa fish, Benarasi saree and other items.
Bangladesh ambassador to China, Munshi Fayez Ahmed, said: “we must give importance to intellectual rights for our own good; for instance, oral saline has been invented in Bangladesh and is used all over the world but we do not know who gets the money from the royalty.”
For intellectual property rights we need to negotiate; in the future, we have to buy royalty but the rates should not be excessive, he added.