Prosecutors have dropped an alleged seven-figure copyright case believed to have involved premises in Courier country.
Kenneth Watt had been due to face trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court this week on an indictment alleging breaches of the Copyright Design and Patents Act over eight years between 2002 and 2010.
The case alleged that Watt, of Fraserburgh, did “without the licence of the copyright owner make for sale or hire articles, namely a quantity of DVDs and CDs, with music content and digital music files”.
He was also charged with selling or offering for sale counterfeit music discs and digital music files.
A Crown Office spokesman confirmed Watt’s case was treated as not called at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
“The procurator fiscal received a report concerning Kenneth Watt, 47, in relation to incidents said to have occurred in Aberdeen between September 2002 and June 2010.
“He appeared on petition at the sheriff court at Aberdeen on September 28 2012 and was charged with three offences under the Copyrights Designs & Patents Act 1988.
“It is the duty of the Crown to keep cases under review and after full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, Crown counsel instructed that no further proceedings should be taken at this time.
“The Crown reserves the right to raise proceedings in future, should further evidence come to light.”
Mr Watt’s solicitor, Brian Bell of Bell Brodie in Forfar, said: “This has been a long-running matter and my client is pleased that it has now come to an end.”