Patent Term is Now 20 Years, Bill Passed in Parliament

Parliament has approved a proposal to pass a law providing that the rights of patent owners be reserved for 20 years instead of 16 years.

As a result, the patent holder will own the property for 20 years from now, after 20 years it will become the property of the people. Under the old law, its term was 16 years.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday proposed to pass the 'Bangladesh Patent Bill-2021' in Parliament. Later it was passed by voice vote.

Earlier, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury disposed of the bill, sent it to the Devao Public Opinion Committee, Selection Committee, and disposed of the amendment proposals.

The current patent and design law is from 1911. In 2016, the law was divided into two parts, patent law, and design law.

The bill was tabled in Parliament on November 14 last year. It was later examined and sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Industries for the report to Parliament.

The bill states that any technology product will be patentable if innovation and innovation exist.

However, inventions, scientific theories, mathematical methods, business methods, rules or methods of performing purely mental work or sports and any such computer program will be outside the scope of patent protection.

In addition to the need to prevent commercial use within the borders of Bangladesh in order to protect public order and ethics - a number of other issues have been left out of patent protection, including innovation.

The bill states that if a person fails to comply with an order under this Act, the court may impose compensation.

Even if there is no patent for any product in Bangladesh, if someone claims that he is the holder of that patent, or has applied for the patent, then he has to pay the tk 50 thousand as compensation.

In case of application of a single or joint invention of a patent in a specific manner, protection of the joint patent's patent will be given after necessary examination.

The draft law states that in any case, if the "genetic resource" is misused, the patent can be handed over to the appropriate authority.

The bill also provides for the revocation of patents and enforcement of rights.