Judge orders destruction of fake pens

A foreign company was yesterday found to have violated the intellectual property rights of another company.

Montblanc-Simplo GmbH of Germany pleaded that it was a renowned manufacturer of writing instruments, pens and stationery and that it had registered its trademark in Malta. It said Visa Negoce (Sarl) Import Export of Morocco was illegally importing Mont Blanc products without its consent or authorisation.

Montblanc-Simplo told the court the Customs Department had seized a container in transit with over 3,000 counterfeit Mont Blanc pens. The container's importer was Visa Negoce. This, the German company argued, was in violation of its intellectual property rights.

After hearing the evidence, Madam Justice Abigail Lofaro, sitting in the First Hall of the Civil Court, ruled in favour of the German company and ordered the Controller of Customs to destroy the pens within a fortnight.