Philip Morris Pakistan placed several full-page color ads in major magazines around Pakistan, which violated a ban on advertising in the press. A Civil Magistrate found the Head of Marketing for Philip Morris Pakistan guilty of violating the law. The Philip Morris executive claimed that the violation was in good faith because he did not believe the prohibition on advertising in the "press" included magazines. The Magistrate rejected this argument, stating that the executive's position was "not tenable." The executive received a small fine, but risks up to three months in jail if he commits a second offense.
Government, through its agencies and officials including prosecutors, may seek to enforce its health laws. For example, the government may revoke the license of a retailer that sells tobacco products to minors. These cases may also directly involve the tobacco industry, for example, a government might impound and destroy improperly labeled cigarette packs.
A claim of a violation of a tobacco control law or statute.
Type of Tobacco Product
None
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
"The advertisements were published with absolutely no intention to commit an offense, but with a firm belief that the word "Press" did not include magazines. However, on receiving TCC's interpretation, the accused immediately took all necessary measures to immediately stop any further advertisements."
"No matter what intention of accused was whether it was good or bad but one thing is clear that the accused has violated the Law and ignorance of Law is no excuse."
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
Philip Morris Pakistan placed several full-page color ads in major magazines around Pakistan, which violated a ban on advertising in the press. A Civil Magistrate found the Head of Marketing for Philip Morris Pakistan guilty of violating the law. The Philip Morris executive claimed that the violation was in good faith because he did not believe the prohibition on advertising in the "press" included magazines. The Magistrate rejected this argument, stating that the executive's position was "not tenable." The executive received a small fine, but risks up to three months in jail if he commits a second offense.