CCP imposes Rs5m penalty on Lahore-based café

ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has imposed a penalty of Rs5 million on a Lahore-based café, owned by Options International (SMC-Pvt) Limited (Options), for violating Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, as it fraudulently used the official logo of international coffeehouse chain, Starbucks.

“Starbucks Corporation is registered in Washington, USA, and runs an international network of coffeehouses through its authorised operators, licensees, and franchisees operating in more than 66 countries uniformly using the Starbuck Marks,” according to a statement issued by the CCP on Monday.

Starbucks sent a formal complaint to the CCP that Options was engaged in the marketing, advertising, selling, and offering to sell “Starbucks coffee” by using the Starbucks Marks on the signboard of its coffee houses and restaurants, including on the packaging material, menus, flyers, its Facebook page, and other promotional material, without any authorisation.