The Bangladesh Copyright Office of the cultural affairs ministry on Wednesday launched online copyright registration (e-Copyright) system to protect intellectual property rights.

The copyright office and the Access to Information (a2i) programme of the prime minister's office jointly organised the inaugural ceremony at the PMO.

Cultural affairs minister, Asaduzzaman Noor, inaugurated the e-Copyright system, while principal secretary of the PMO, Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, and cultural affairs secretary, Ibraheem Hosein Khan, were present as special guests at the event.

Project director of a2i programme, Kabir Bin Anwar, chaired the inaugural ceremony.

The copyright office used a2i's Service Innovation Fund and took technical assistance from UNDP and USAID to develop the "e-Copyright" system, said a2i programme release.

Now any individual or institution from anywhere in Bangladesh can apply online for copyright of literature, drama, music, records, paintings, movies, radio programs, television programs, software and any other creative works using e-Copyright system.

The applicants will have access to the online application form in the website (http://www.copyrightoffice.gov.bd/) of Bangladesh Copyright Office. Once the application is processed, the applicant shall receive an auto generated SMS mentioning date of delivery of certificate. The applicants can also take e-certificate and subsequently its authenticity can be verified online.

This e-service is expected to encourage more applications for copyright and that the creative minded citizens of Bangladesh will have a better chance to protect their intellectual property rights.

Previously, one needed to come to the copyright office in Dhaka to apply for copyright of any creative work and wait 30-40 days to get the certificate through manual process.

The a2i programme's Service Innovation Fund is provided to quick and small scale innovation pilot projects that can simplify citizen service delivery.