North South University (NSU) in Dhaka commemorated World Intellectual Property Day on April 30, 2025, by organizing a seminar focused on contemporary intellectual property (IP) law. Event was hosted by NSU’s Department of Law and featured a lineup of distinguished speakers and legal scholars.
Key Highlights from the Seminar
- Keynote Address by Professor Niloufer Selvadurai: Joining virtually from Macquarie Law School, Professor Selvadurai delivered a keynote titled “The IP Issue of Our Era – Patent Protection for AI-Generated Inventions.” She explored the complexities of recognizing artificial intelligence as an inventor under current patent laws and discussed potential statutory reforms, including the use of personal pronouns in legal texts to address AI inventorship.
- Presentation by Mahua Zahur: As the director of the Centre for Learning Intellectual Property, Zahur presented on “IP and Music: An Assessment of the Prospects of the Music Industry in Light of the Copyright Act, 2023.” She emphasized the importance of protecting folkloric works and public domain creations, while critiquing the insufficient safeguards for audio-visual performers under the new copyright legislation.
- Talk by Advocate Saquib Rahman: A senior lecturer at NSU’s Department of Law, Rahman discussed “Dilution by Blurring: Bangladesh’s Ignorance.” He highlighted the conceptual challenges of this area within trademark law and pointed out that Bangladeshi courts have yet to recognize the concept of dilution by blurring. Rahman advocated for its inclusion in the Trademark Act of 2009 to strengthen legal protections.
Seminar was chaired by NSU vice chancellor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury with Abdur Rob Khan NSU’s treasurer and pro vice chancellor, serving as the special guest. Event commenced with introductory remarks from Ishtiaque Ahmed chairman of the Department of Law, who expressed appreciation for the speakers and attendees.
This seminar underscores NSU’s commitment to engaging with evolving legal challenges in the digital age, particularly those intersecting with technology, creative industries and intellectual property rights.