ISLAMABAD, June 24: A local court on Friday rejected an appeal of a multinational company seeking quashment of a petition of a Pakistani doctor accusing the defendant of infringement of Intellectual Property Rights.

Civil Judge Amer Salim Rana fixed July 15 for hearing of the case.

The Pakistani physician, Dr Syed Iqbal Raza, had filed a suit for Rs20billion on September 8, 2003 against the German company for copying a software, which he had developed and presented to the company for striking a joint venture.

The judge observed that Dr Raza’s plaint revealed a cause of action against the defendant.

The civil judge adjourned the hearing till July 15 with the direction to the complainant to provide all relevant evidences.

The court on June 20, dismissed as ‘devoid of merit’ the application of the company seeking rejection of Dr Raza’s complaint on the ground that he moved the case belatedly.

“We have to ascertain as to how the intellectual property ‘Dr Sir’ of Pakistan researcher has been allegedly infringed by big multinational company to develop SOARIAN,” the judge observed.—Staff Reporter