Bangladesh Patents Bill 2022 has been passed in the Jatiya Sangsad replacing the Patents and Designs Act 1911 aiming to enact a time-befitting law.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun moved the bill in the House on Sunday which was unanimously passed by voice votes with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
Jatiya party lawmakers Raushan Ara Mannan, Rustam Ali Farazi, Mujibul Huq, BNP lawmakers Rumeen Farhana, and Harunur Rashid sought public review before the enactment of the law, then their demands were null and void by voice votes.
Piloting the bill, the Industries Minister said the new bill has been separated from the earlier law and the extent of the law will be increased in phases.
The Cabinet earlier approved the draft of "Bangladesh Patent Bill, 2021", aiming to make the century-old patent law a more time-befitting one.
A registrar's office will be there to issue or cancel patents of any single inventor or joint inventors of any technological innovation under the proposed law, according to the draft of the law.
"The owners will be given the patent of any innovation for 20 years after receiving the application, and then it will become public," it said.
The cases, particularly general rights and compensation-related issues under the draft law will be treated as civil affairs and be tried by civil courts. But cheating and similar offences will be dealt with under the penal code, it added.
"If anyone fails to carry out the orders under different articles of the proposed law, the compensation would be Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh," according to the proposed law.
The Cabinet also approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Industry-Design Bill, 2021 in a bid to protect the intellectual property rights of industrial design.
The government has taken the initiative to enact two separate laws -- patent law and industry-design law -- by splitting the Patents and Designs Act, 1911 as there is a huge number of diversified affairs under the century-old law.
The same registrar's office will act as the administration office for both the proposed laws.
There is also a provision in the draft law that the owners will get compensation, and such cases will be dealt with by civil courts, said the proposed law.
