ISLAMABAD: A sixth grader, through his father sued officials at the President House at the Islamabad High Court and has accused them for plagiarising and using his speech without consent.
Eleven-year-old Mohammad Sabeel Haider, who studies in Islamabad Model College for Boys, was chosen to deliver a speech at the President House in Islamabad on Dec 22.
The ceremony was recorded and is supposed to be aired on Pakistan Television (PTV) on December 25, on the 141st birth anniversary of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
However, when Sabeel arrived at the President’s House, he was informed he will no longer be delivering the speech.
He said in his petition that instead of him, a tenth-grader delivered the speech he had written and prepared, alleging that his intellectual property was stolen.
According to Sabeel’s lawyer, as per Section 3 of Intellectual Property and Copyrights Ordinance 1967, a literary piece that the person has produced themselves cannot be used by a third party without their consent.
The court’s judgment in this regard has been reserved.
