Int'l agency warns audio piracy on increase in Bangladesh

Audio piracy has increased in Bangladesh in the last two years due to a 'total lack' of legal enforcement, according to the international body that represents the music recording industry.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the piracy rate in Bangladesh for domestically produced music is 85 percent, increasing to 90 per cent for Indian music and 100 percent for international artistes.
“Due to the total lack of enforcement the overall piracy situation in Bangladesh has worsened over the last couple of years with increasing sales of pirated CDs/DVDs in urban cities especially Dhaka,” said Laura Childs, a spokeswoman for IFPI.
“With CD players becoming increasingly popular and cheap, demand for audio CDs and DVDs has gone up,” she said, adding that domestic piracy production had increased “sharply.”
“In 2005/2006 there were only two CD/DVD plants in Bangladesh whereas in 2007 there are 6 CD/DVD manufacturing plants in operation and all are located in Dhaka. Each plant can produce 40,000 pirated optical discs in 24 hours.
As local production of pirated discs has increased during the last year the import of large quantities of pirated discs from Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore has decreased drastically, she said.
She also said that piracy producers “are now lobbying the government for incentives for creating export openings for the pirated products.”
The IFPI represents the recording industry worldwide, with a membership comprising of some 1400 record companies.
Childs rejected arguments that in low income countries piracy did not cost the industry any significant amount. “Bangladesh has a huge market for audio and video discs domestically. Bangladesh is also one of the major exporters of pirated optical disc to India and Nepal,” she said.
Childs said the IFPI had been in contact with authorities in Dhaka but to little effect. “Unfortunately, there is no central body which looks after piracy. IFPI is in contact with the Dhaka Police and Customs and has requested assistance on this matter. Even the ministries of culture and industry were approached in the past without success.”
Rejaul Islam, working in a music shop at Basundhara City, Dhaka, has a huge collection of bands and artistes, such as Pink Floyd, Beatles and Deep Purple, but didn't know that selling pirated CDs and DVD is a punishable crime.
“These things have a huge demand among music lovers, so we have to bring and store them in the shop. It would be very expensive to import things from abroad and the retail price would rise a lot and could result in us losing our clients,” said Rejaul.
Police in Dhaka said around 40 people were charged for breaching copyright and piracy related offences last year, but it was very difficult to impose effective punishments.