Bangladesh: Intellectual
Property trends in Bangladesh (2004-2014)
The
Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Bangladesh has recently released
the statistics for trademarks, patents and designs filings and registrations in
Bangladesh, giving statistical data for the year 2014.
Our
research team has compiled and analyzed 10 years of empirical data for the
trademarks, patents and designs filings and registrations in Bangladesh from
1994 to 2014, by way of graphical representation as under.
Trade Marks Filing
and Registration Trends
In terms of trademarks filing and
registration trends in Bangladesh, from only 28 total applications in 1971, there
has been a drastic increase to a total of 11,541 applications in 2014. From the
total figure of 6357 in 2004, the number of trademarks filings has almost
doubled in 2014. Therefore, there has been a drastic increase in trademarks
prosecution over a period of 10 years. Simultaneously, an equally progressive
growth can be seen in the number of trademarks registrations each year. As per
the statistics released, the number of trademarks registrations granted in
Bangladesh has increased from 326 in 2004 to a staggering 4172 in 2014 i.e.
almost 13 times higher. Thus, there seems to be a highly increasing proactive
approach by the Bangladeshi Trade Marks Office in examining trademark
applications and consequently granting registrations.
Trademarks Applications
received vs Certificates Issued
Interestingly, although the total
number of applications received from Bangladesh residents is much higher than
that from non-resident/ foreigners, the number of registrations granted to foreign
entities (3307) is almost four-fold higher than that to residents (865) in 2014.
Trademarks Applications
received: Residents vs Non–Residents
Trademarks
Registrations granted: Residents vs Non–Residents
Patents Filing and Registration Trends
In
terms of patents filing and registration trends in Bangladesh, there has been a
decline in the total number of patent applications from 316 in 2004 to 293 in
2014. Over the past 10 years, there has not been any major increase in the
patent filing trends, and only minor fluctuations can be observed. Meanwhile, the
number of patent grants have also declined from 230 in 2004 to 121 in 2014, and
similar to the filing statistics, there has been no steady increase or decrease
in the patent grant trends, and only fluctuations are observed over the decade.
Patent Applications
received vs Patents granted
As per the released statistics,
the number of patent applications are still dominated by foreign entities with
almost a staggering 85% of the patent filings coming from them. Even in terms
of granted patents, foreign entities are leading with 80% of the total patents granted
in Bangladesh being those belonging to them.
Patent Applications
received: Resident vs Non-resident
Patents granted:
Resident vs Non-Resident
Industrial Designs Filing and
Registration Trends
In terms of applications for
Designs registration and the number of Designs registered in Bangladesh, from
only 14 total applications in 1972, the total number of designs applications in
2014 were 1,379. Over the past 10 years, the number of designs applications has
almost doubled from 794 in 2004 to 1,379 in 2014. Therefore, there is a clear increase
in designs prosecution over a period of 10 years, with minor fluctuations in
between. Meanwhile, the total number of designs registered in 2014 is 802 as
opposed to the 460 designs registrations in 2004. Further, over a period of 10
years, the total number of designs registered from 2004 to 2014 was about 60-70%
of the total filings.
Designs Applications
Received vs Designs Registered
In contrast to Trademarks and
Patents filing and registration trends, the number of Designs applications and
registrations of foreign entities is much less than that of Bangladesh
residents. As opposed to the 1245 designs applications filed by residents in
2014, only a mere 134 applications were filed by foreign entities. Further, in
contrast to the 677 designs registered in favour of Bangladeshi residents in
2014, only 125 registrations were granted to foreign entities. Over a period 10
years from 2004 to 2014, only about 6-8% of the designs applications received
were from foreign entities, and the rest from Bangladeshi residents. Meanwhile,
over the same period, about 9% of the total designs registered were of foreign
entities, and a staggering 91% were of residents.
Applications
received: Residents vs Non – Residents
Designs Registered:
Residents vs Non – Residents
Concluding Remarks
Between 2004 and 2014, Bangladesh
had an average GDP growth rate of 6%. The Bangladeshi economy is increasingly
dominated by export-oriented industrialization. The textile industry in Bangladesh
is the second-largest in the world. Other key sectors in the Bangladesh market include
pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, ceramics, leather goods and electronics. Bangladesh
is situated in one of the most fertile regions, hence, agriculture is a crucial
industry. Meanwhile, Bangladesh ranks fifth in the global production of fish
and seafood. The telecommunication industry in Bangladesh has also witnessed
rapid growth over the years and is mostly dominated by foreign investors. Located
at the crossroads of SAARC, the ASEAN+3, BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean,
Bangladesh has the potential to emerge as a regional economic and logistics hub.
Rights
pertaining to intellectual property require spread of awareness, especially in
developing countries like Bangladesh. The development of IP laws and an IP
conducive regime inevitably help in the economic and social development of any
jurisdiction.
From the detailed empirical data available from 1972 – 2014,
it can be observed that Bangladesh is increasingly becoming an IP aware
country, and may become the next IP hub in Asia.
Source:
Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Bangladesh
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