Photo: Collected
Bangladesh Lyricist, Composers, and Performers Society (BLCPS) along with the Bangladesh Copyright Office jointly has arranged a day-long mentoring session in the capital.
The national event, titled "WIPO Mentorship Program for CMOs Engaged in Copyright Management," was joined by delegates from WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation), CISAC (International Confederation of CMOs), and IPRS (Indian Performers Rights Society).
The delegates addressed several topics and provided recommendations to participants through their detailed presentations.
Since 2013, BLCPS, the first government-approved CMO (Collective Management Organization), has been working to protect the rights of Bangladeshi creators to their intellectual property.
As part of its commitment to streamline and strengthen its working conditions and bring them to international standards, BLCPS arranged the session on Tuesday at the Six Seasons hotel.
The program commenced with welcome speeches by Hamin Ahmed, CEO of BLCPS, followed by Miyuki Monroing, Program Officer, Copyright Management Division, Copyright and Creative Industries Sector, WIPO; and then Nafriza Shyama, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs on behalf of BLCPS, WIPO and Ministry of Cultural Affairs respectively.
Inaugurated by Copyright Registrar Md Daud Miah NDC (Additional Secretary), the day-long event then proceeded with five engaging sessions on five different and important topics, explaining the activities of the participating organizations.
The inaugural topic was "WIPO's Activities in the Area of Collective Management and New Projects to Support the Growth and Development of Local CMOS," conducted by Miyuki Monroing.
The second topic, "CISAC's Roles and Initiatives to Seamlessly Represent Creators Across the Globe and Ensure the Royalties Flow to Authors Effectively," was addressed by Benjamin Ng, Regional Director for Asia-Pacific CISAC.
Three speakers addressed the third topic, titled "The Role of Local CMOs in Building a Creative Ecosystem for Creators and Users: What Can CMOs Contribute to You," presented by Satoshi Watanabe, Honorary Advisor of CISAC; Rakesh Nigam, Chief Executive Officer, IPRS; and Surhit Bhattacharyya, Chief Information Officer, IPRS.
Registrar of Copyright, Md Daud Miah then addressed the fourth topic, "Current Status of Copyright and Related Rights in Bangladesh and Future Cooperation with BLCPS to Support Creators and Creative Industries," and the day-long sessions came to its closure with the addressing of the final topic of the day, "Current Operational Status of BLCPS and Future Perspectives" - delivered by BLCPS CEO Hamin Ahmed.
"Today's event was to address the procedures and necessity of copyright management for the stakeholders, which include the large numbers of music creators, music stakeholders, radio and television channels, music channels, digital distribution platforms, publishers, event organizers, advertising agencies, journalists, lyricists, composers, singers, and others related to our music industry. Along with these important stakeholders, esteemed delegates from WIPO, CISAC and IPRS joined us today to address and discuss multiple important topics, and we will initiate more beneficial activities in the future," BLCPS member Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu told in press conference.
Founded in 1926, CISAC aims to improve communication, interest protection, and technology sharing across nations. For its specific focus on the development of lyricists and composers, this international confederation is called the leading global organization that is actively working for the betterment of lyricists and composers.
CISAC is currently active in a total of 116 countries with its 225 CMOs and over five million creators; and its diverse field of works includes music, audiovisual, drama/play, literature, and visual art - and the people actively involved in these genres.
In addition to CISAC, the United Nations' autonomous organization, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), has been working for the preservation of intellectual property (IP) and the intellectual creations of people from 193 member states around the world, as well as the preservation of information and policies related to this. Sections 38-44 of Chapter 9 of the Bangladesh Copyright Act safeguard individuals' intellectual property interests.
BLCPS (Bangladesh Lyricist Composers and Performers Society) is the first CMO for the music industry in Bangladesh. Founded in 2013 and operates under a non-profit Board of Trustees headed by legendary vocalist Sabina Yasmin, the organization received its license from the government in 2014 and since has been working to accomplish its vision to protect and manage the rights of Bangladeshi songwriters, composers, singers and distributors.
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