Copyright infringement case: Charge framed against 20 people

Court Correspondent :A court of Dhaka on Wednesday framed charges against 20 people in a copyright infringement case filed by eminent singer Mohammad Abdul Jabbar.Judge Md Jahurul Haque of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court framed the charges fixing March 27 to record depositions against the accused.Jabbar filed the caset on November 28 last year against 20 officials of World Entertainment, including its Chairman AKM Arifur Rahman, Vice-Chairmen Selim Khan, Hasan Matiur Rahman, Sultan Mahmud and Managing Director Sheikh SHahed Ali.The complaint singer stated that the music company had marketed a CD containing 19 popular songs by him without signing any agreement and paying him any honorarium.The songs included ‘Ore neel daria’, ‘Du jahaner malik tumi’, ‘Mukh dekhe bhul korona’ and ‘Tumi ki dekhecho kovu jiboner porajoy’.In the hearing, the court was told that the complainant and accused reached an out-of-court settlement, but the court refused to accept the deal.The judge said, “The case isn’t negotiable. The accused must be released after recording depositions against them.”Jabbar’s lawyer Advocate Abdul Mannan told bdnews24.com that, although the court framed charges against the accused, compensation had already been realised from them. “The music company has said that it will help in realising compensation from others.”Earlier, James, rock icon and lead singer of prominent band Nagar Baul, and Shafin Ahmed, rock icon and lead singer of Miles, filed similar cases against the private mobile phone operator, Axiata Bangladesh (formerly Aktel), for allegedly breaching the Copyright Act. Axiata goes by the brand name ‘Robi’ in Bangladesh.