Late in 2024, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) held auctions for the special vehicle registration plates of the range “MADANI 1” to “MADANI 9999”. Soon after, one Hasan Azhari Hashim sued JPJ over it, claiming copyright infringement. According to the Malay Mail, the High Court has awarded the man RM40,000 as compensation, plus another RM25,000 in costs, to Hasan Azhari, who is also programme director for fundraising consultancy firm Ilham Madani Sdn Bhd.
In case you missed it, Hasan Azhari first demanded RM1.3 million from both JPJ and the transport ministry back in November of 2024. The claim was that two government entities have misused and violated his intellectual property rights as well as copyrights, as he claims to be the registered owner of the idea to collaborate with the government in issuing the special MADANI number plates. Specifically, the patent in question is “Kertas Kerja Mewujudkan Nombor Plat Khas Kenderaan Bersiri Madani 1 Sehingga Madani 9999 Untuk Didaftarkan Di Malaysia” filed under the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).
Despite multiple letters proposing the sale, he was told that existing provisions only permit JPJ to issue the special number plates. Per the report, these existing policies have been in place since May 2018, before which private companies and non-government organisations could sell special number plates. As documented, the sale by JPJ went through via auction, hence the suit. Beyond just the sale though, the report also notes Hasan Azhari as claiming that even the graphic elements, colours and typographical styles in the JPJ poster resembled his.
The JPJ director-general has argued that the word MADANI is not a creation of Hasan Azhari, and the government has been using it as a slogan since January 2023. Ultimately, the court ruled in Hasan Azhari’s favour, awarding him RM40,000. Though this is a far cry from the initial demand of half the proceeds from the sales of the MADANI number plates, or around RM1.3 million. The JPJ DG will have a month to pursue an appeal of the High Court’s decision.
(Source: Malay Mail)
