High Court bars use of Hindi songs as mobile ringtones, welcome tunes

The High Court has banned the use of Indian or other sub-continental film songs as ringtones or welcome tunes in mobile phones.

The court ordered 'abstention’ from the use of songs and tunes from Hindi movies, Indian Bangla movies and movies from any other country in the Indian subcontinent as Value Added Services (VAS) of the mobile-phone operators.

The bench of justices Farah Mahbub and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo issued the order with a rule after hearing a writ petition on Thursday.

Petitioner’s lawyer Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury said the court issued the rule asking why the use of those songs and tunes as VAS offered by the operators should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to culture, information, home and law ministries, BTRC chairman and all operators in the country were asked to reply within four weeks, he said.

Music Industries Owners Association President AKM Arifur Rahman and General Secretary SK Shahed Ali filed the petition last month.

After Thursday’s order, lawyer Chowdhury said, “Import policy bars the import of Indian or sub-continental films to Bangladesh. That is why songs of those (films) can’t be used as welcome tune or ringtone.”

Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder represented the state in the court.