ISLAMABAD – Food giant Mezan landed in hot water as Competition Commission of Pakistan slapped company with Rs15 crore fine, ruling that Storm copied the design, branding, and bottle of PepsiCo’s ‘Sting’.
It started as complaint in 2018 turned into a years-long legal battle, but the commision verdict makes it clear that consumers cannot be tricked, and copycats will pay the price.
Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) slammed Mezan Beverages (Private) Limited with whopping Rs150 million penalty for blatantly imitating PepsiCo’s Sting energy drink. CCP found that Mezan’s “Storm” energy drink didn’t just resemble Sting, it copied it almost entirely, from the color scheme and bottle design to the aggressive branding elements, creating a high risk of consumer confusion at the point of sale.
The commission condemned this as “parasitic copying” and ruled it a clear case of deceptive marketing under Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010.
The controversy dates back to 2018, when PepsiCo filed complaint accusing Mezan of designing Storm to ride on Sting’s success. Instead of addressing the charges, Mezan repeatedly challenged the CCP’s authority, dragging the case through years of litigation and obtaining stay orders from the Lahore High Court in 2018 and 2021, stalling the investigation.
Last year, Lahore High Court dismissed Mezan’s petition, confirming CCP’s jurisdiction and ruling that early challenges to show-cause notices are not valid. The court stressed that competition law proceedings are independent of trademark disputes and noted that Mezan’s legal maneuvers had been a clear tactic to delay regulatory scrutiny.
CCP’s detailed investigation revealed that Storm copied Sting’s predominantly red color scheme, slanted white lettering with aggressive graphics. near-identical bottle shape and presentation which could easily mislead consumers.
He stressed that deceptive marketing is judged by the overall commercial impression rather than minor differences, and owning a registered trademark like Mezan does for Storm does not protect against violations of competition law when consumer deception is proven.
Ayesha Steel Mills, International Steels Ltd fined for price manipulation
