Bail plea dismissed in copyright case

LAHORE:

The Intellectual Property Tribunal (IPT) has dismissed the bail plea of an accused in a copyright violation case involving the alleged production of counterfeit snack products. The bail was rejected due to non-prosecution, as the petitioner failed to appear before the court.

The complainant's counsel, Malik Ishtiaq Javed, argued that his client, the registered copyright holder, had been running his business lawfully. However, the accused were allegedly deceiving customers by producing and selling products with similar designs and packaging. This, he claimed, was not only misleading consumers but also harming the complainant's business.

The tribunal was informed that this was the third pre-arrest bail attempt by the accused, which the complainant's counsel described as an abuse of legal process. After multiple calls, the accused did not provide representation, so the tribunal dismissed the bail plea. According to the FIR, the complainant had approached the relevant authorities, prompting a raid by the FIA.