Hardingham v RP Data Pty Limited [2021] FCAFC 148

Federal Court of Australia

Hardingham v RP Data Pty Limited [2021] FCAFC 148 File number(s): NSD 114 of 2020

Judgment of: GREENWOOD, RARES AND JACKSON JJ

Date of judgment: 18 August 2021

Catchwords: COPYRIGHT – consideration of copyright subsisting in photographs and floorplans – consideration of the terms of an oral licence conferred by the copyright owner and exclusive licensee on real estate agencies to use the works for the purposes of securing a sale or lease of the particular property – consideration of the principles governing whether a term is to be implied, in fact, into the oral informal agreements between the rights owners and each agency and the content and scope of such a term – consideration of the principles governing whether a term is to be inferred into the oral informal agreements from all the circumstances as a matter of the actual intention of the parties CONTRACTS - consideration of the terms of an oral licence conferred by the copyright owner and its exclusive licensee of photographs and floorplans, on real estate agencies to use the works for the purposes of securing a sale or lease of the particular property – consideration of the principles governing whether a term is to be implied, in fact, into the oral informal agreements between the rights owners and each agency and the content and scope of such a term – consideration of the principles governing whether a term is to be inferred into the oral informal agreements from all the circumstances, as a matter of the actual intention of the parties

Legislation: Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), ss 10, 13, 15, 31, 32, 36

Cases cited: Acohs Pty Ltd v Ucorp Pty Ltd (2012) 201 FCR 173 Attorney General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd [2009] 1 WLR 1988 Avel Pty Ltd v Multicoin Amusements Pty Ltd (1990) 171 CLR 88 Beck v Montana Constructions Pty Ltd [1964–5] NSWR 229 Bell v Lever Brothers Limited [1932] AC 161 B.P. Refinery (Westernport) Pty Limited v Shire of Hastings (1977) 180 CLR 266 Breen v Williams (1995) 186 CLR 71 Byrne v Australian Airlines Limited (1995) 185 CLR 410 Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of NSW (1982) 149 CLR 337 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Barker (2014) 253 CLR 169 Con-Stan Industries Pty Ltd v Norwich Winterthur Insurance (Australia) Ltd (1986) 160 CLR 226 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 Gold Peg International Pty Ltd v Kovan Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd [2005] FCA 1521; (2005) 225 ALR 57 Grocon Constructors (Victoria) Pty Ltd v APN DF2 Project 2 Pty Ltd [2015] VSCA 190 Hardingham v RP Data Pty Limited [2019] FCA 2075 Hardingham v RP Data Pty Limited (No 2) [2019] FCA 2138 Hawkins v Clayton (1988) 164 CLR 539 Hospital Products Limited v United States Surgical Corporation (1984) 156 CLR 41 Liverpool City Council v Irwin [1977] AC 239 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Limited v Wright Prospecting Pty Limited (2015) 256 CLR 104 Prenn v Simmonds [1971] 1 WLR 1381 Rinehart v Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd; Rinehart v Rinehart (2019) 267 CLR 514 Sekisui Rib Loc Australia Pty Ltd v Rocla Pty Ltd [2012] SASCFC 21; (2012) 291 ALR 140 State of New South Wales v Banabelle Electrical Pty Ltd [2002] NSWSC 178; (2002) 54 NSWLR 503 Toll (FCGT) Pty Ltd v Alphapharm Pty Ltd (2004) 219 CLR 165 Yau's Entertainment Pty Limited v Asia Television Limited [2002] FCAFC 78; (2002) 54 IPR 1