On 13 June, 2015 Intellectual Property Association of Bangladesh (IPAB) had launched a campaign, titled 'RRBG- Nokol Rudhbo, Chorachalan Rukhbo, Rajossho Barabo, Desh Gorbo' at the ballroom of Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel Dhaka. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed MP was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony.  

The event started off with a presentation by Md. Azizur Rahman FCS, Director General, IPAB. "Be it baby's food or cosmetics, every industry, and along with that the consumers, are suffering from duplicates," he pointed out. "This campaign hopes to raise awareness on counterfeit products, copyright infringement, smuggled products and duty evasion. To solve the problem, a multi-dimensional approach needs to be taken: credible research, awareness among all the stakeholders and segments of society, empowering enforcement agencies and the support of relevant ministries are all important."

After the presentation, an oath-taking session took place, where all the guests promised to stand against all acts of intellectual property infringement.

The event also launched a report, entitled 'Intellectual Property Rights in Businesses- Making Tools for Developing Bangladesh'.

Then, the floor was open for leaders of different sectors to speak up and present their challenges to the Commerce Minister.

For example, Abul Hayat, a notable actor, spoke about royalty rights. "Many decades ago, for a work I did on BTV, I got royalty from Karachi, since it was broadcasted there as well," Hayat remembers. "But nowadays, there are so many channels, but, after the contract has been signed, no matter how many times and wherever the programme runs, we don't see any royalty."

Maleka Khan, founder of Bangla Craft, was also present on the occasion and stressed the importance of everyone -- from the government level to the consumers -- to come forward to support Jamdani weavers. "You can proudly say that you belong to the land where Jamdani is woven," she said. "We must make sure that the weavers get their due recognition."

Bangladesh is working on its way to become a middle-income nation by 2021. And in order to do that, intellectual property infringement must be dealt with.