The High Court (HC) yesterday directed the government to submit a report on the steps it has taken to stop piracy of audio and video films and other documents every month to this court.
It also issued a rule upon the government to explain within three weeks why it should not be directed to properly enforce the copyright law to stop the piracy and to confiscate all the pirated copies of the films and documents.
An HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Md Delwar Hossain passed the order upon a writ petition stating that compact discs (CDs) on the pirated copies of films and other documents are being sold in the market damaging the film and music industries.
President of Bangladesh Film Production and Distribution Association Gazi Mazharul Anwar and secretary of Bangladesh Music Industries Owners Association Sheikh Shahed Ali jointly filed the writ petition.
Secretaries to the ministries of home, industries, finance, commerce, cultural affairs, information, science and technology, inspector general of police, director general of rapid action battalion, chairman and registrar of copyright board have made respondents in the order and rule.
Barrister Rabiul Hasan and Barrister Mehedi Hasan appeared for the petitioners, Deputy Attorney General Nazrul Islam Talukder stood for the government.