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1.
Allo CATCHHORDS
Trade practices - misleading and deceptive conduct. -
representation that corporation has sponsorship or
affiliation it does not have - analysis of complex evidence -
damages - whether on findings of primary Judge he was bound
to make an award of damages no matter that the exergcise was
speculative
Trade Practices Act 1974, ss. 52 and 53(d).
Copyright - artistic work commissioned by second appellant in
New Zealand - author resident in New Zealand - whether second
appellant owner of work - whether second appellant a
competent applicant to sue for infringement of copyright.
Copyright Act 1968, ss. 10, 32, 35, 115. 119, 184 and 249
Copyright (International Protection) Requlations, req. 4
Copyright Act 1962 (New Zealand), s. 9
ENZED HOLDINGS LIMITED & ORS. v. WYNTHEA PTY LIMITED & ORS.
No. W.A.G 33 of 1984
Coram: Sheppard, Morling and Wilcox JJ.
6 December 1984
Svdney
eneoe
tat seein,
1.
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA
)
)
WESTERN: AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY ) No. W.A.G 33 of 1984
- - )
GENERAL DIVISION )
JUDGES MAKING ORDER
On Appeal from a single Judge
of the Federal Court
BETWEEN :
ENZED HOLDINGS LIMITED & ORS.
Appellants
WYNTHEA PTY LIMITED & ORS.
Respondents
ORDER
Sheppard, Morling and Wilcox JJ.
DATE OF ORDER : 6 December 1984
WHERE MADE : Sydney
THE COURT ORDERS THAT:
lL.
3.
4.
5.
The appeal be dismissed.
The cross-appeal be allowed in part.
The orders made by Lockhart J. on 26 March 1984 be
varied by deleting therefrom the order numbered 4.
The cross-appeal be otherwise dismissed.
The appellants pay one-fifth of the respondents' costs
of the appeal and the cross-appeal.
1.
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA
)
)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY ) No. W.A.G 33 of 1984
)
GENERAL. DIVISION )
On Appeal from a single Judge
of the Federal Court
BETWEEN:
ENZED HOLDINGS LIMITED & ORS.
Appellants
WYNTHEA PTY LIMITED & ORS.
Respondents
CORAM: SHEPPARD, MORLING and WILCOX JJ.
6 DECEMBER 1984
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
THE COURT: This is an appeal and cross-appeal from a
judqment of a single iudae of this Court (Lockhart J.) given
on 26 March 1984. The proceedings were brought by the
appellants to obtain injunctive relief and damages against
the respondents for alleged breaches of s. 52 and para. 53(d)
of the Trade Practices Act 1974, infringement of copyright
and passing off. The appellants established their
entitlement to relief pursuant to their causes of action
based onthe Trade Practices Act and upon infringement of
copyright. His Honour did not find it necessary to deal with
2.
the question of passing off. His Honour granted injunctions
to restrain the respondents committing further breaches and
infringements. He refused to award any damages. It is from
that refusal and also from his Honour's decision to make no
order ag to costs that the appellants appeal. The
cross-appeal is brought by the respondents in order to have
his Honour's decision to grant any relief set aside. The
respondents contend that the appellants did not establish any
breach of the Trade Practices Act nor any infringement of
copyright. The respondents seek an order that the costs of
the trial be paid by the appellants.
The first four appellants are members of a group of
companies known as the Enzed group. The group consists of a
holding company and a manufacturing and distributing company.
The first appellant is the holding company and, the second
appellant 1s the manufacturing and distributing company.
Both these companies are incorporated in New Zealand and do
not carrv on business elsewhere. The third appellant is the
Australian distributor of Enzed products. The fourth
appellant controls the Australian franchising of the group.
Both the third and fourth appellants are companies
incorporated and carrying on business in Australia. The
£ifth appellants are not part of the group, but on 15 July
1982, the first of them, Compressed Air & Packing Systems Ptv
Limited (hereinafter referred to as "CAPS") was given a
franchise to market the qaroup's products in Western
s]
Aten wee ater later is salt + .
3.
Australia. Subsequently the franchise was taken over by the
other fifth appellant, Contender Pty Limited.
"
. The. first respondent, Wynthea Pty Limited, was formed on
23 January 1981. Fifty per cent of its share capital was
taken up by a company, Bendara Pty Limited, and the remaining
fifty per cent by another company, Kimden Pty Limited. Prior
to 23 January 1981, Bendara Pty Limited had been the Western
Australian distributor of Enzed products. It held the
distributorship pursuant to an agreement which had been made
on its behalf by another of the respondents, Mr. A.G. Smith.
The agreement was with a company, not one of the appellants,
Enzed Hydraulics Pty Limited, which was until April 1981 the
sole Australian distributor of Enzed products. Since 24
April 1980, Bendara Pty Limited has been the reqistered
proprietor of a business name, ""Enzed Hydraulic Hose &
Coupling Service". Wynthea Pty Limited was formed to
accommodate the entry into the business of the respondent,
Mr. W.R. Cooper. He controls Kimden Pty Limited. Wynthea
Pty Limited was not registered as the proprietor of the
business name, Enzed Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service. This
was -.due to an oversight. There is no question but that the
name and the business were owned by Wynthea Pty Limited at
all material times. Both Mr. Cooper and Mr. Smith were
respondents to the application as well as Wynthea Pty
Limited.
4.
The Enzed group was founded in 1972 in New Zealand. It
designs, manufactures and distributes hydraulic hoses and
couplings and similar products. On 10 September 1979 Enzed
Hydraulics Pty Limited, under the direction of Mr. Peter
Duncan, an Enzed distributor in New Zealand, and Mr. Davey,
the Enzed New Zealand national sales manager, was given sole
distribution rights in Australia. This arrangenent
terminated in April 1981.
On 13° March 1980, Mr. Smith made the earlier mentioned
agreement with Enzed Hydraulics Pty Limited to become the
Western Australian distributor. The terms of the agreement
appear in a letter dated 13 March 1980. They inciuded terms
as to price, stock and equipment. terms conferring on Mr.
Smith's company the sole Enzed distribution and sale rights
for Western Australia anda term that the Western Australian
company would obtain its supplies exclusively from Enzed
Hvdraulics Ptv Limited. The agreement commenced on 1 May
1980.
On 14 March 1980 Mr. Smith set up Bendara Ptv Limited to
hold the distribution rights. It commenced business as Enzed
Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service on or about 1 June 1980.
The business made use of two logos belonqing to Enzed. These
were described by the learned primary Judge as "the name
logo" and "the drawing logo". The name logo consisted of the
word "ENZED" preceeded by two red flashings or flicks. The
pe ween tlanttteneacltlens sass §
r "7
5.
drawing logo was a line drawing of eight hydraulic couplings.
Both logos were designed by a Mr. L.L. Anderson, a resident
of. New: Zealand, who had been commissioned to design the logos
by the second appellant, Enzed Precision Products Limited.
Upon setting up the business Mr. Smith found that two
other companies were carrying Enzed products. The Enzed
products were said by him to have a poor reputation in the
Western Australian market. His belief in that regard was not
shared by: the Enzed interests.
On 6 April 1981 Enzed Hydraulics Pty Limited ceased to
be the - Australian 'distributor. . Its operations were
restricted to New South Wales. From July or August 1981 the
Australian operations were directed from Melbourne. The
third and fourth appellants had their headquarters in
Australia there: aMr. Rex Falloon was in charge. The
respondent. Mr. Smith, was aware of these changes. By this
time he had become dissatisfied with Enzed products and had
made his dissatisfaction known, firstly to the Sydney, and
then to the Melbourne, offices.
Despite discussions between Mr. Smith and Mr. Failoon in
September 1981 the relationship deteriorated. On 21 October
1981 Mr. Falloon sent a telex to Mr. Smith saying that the
relationship was terminated from that day. The telex
continued, "You are requested to cease using the Enzed trade
wd
eke AONy Rae me ete Meme
I
6. °
mark and you are requested to remove the Enzed name from your
premises-and the promotional material on vehicles ..."
As earlier mentioned, on 15 July 1982, the fourth
appellant appointed CAPS as Western Australian distributor of
Enzed products. Later it was decided that a company separate
from CAPS should be formed to hold the Enzed franchise. This
led to the incorporation of Contender. In the meantime Mr.
Smith continued in business under the name, "Enzed Hydraulic
Hose & Coupling Service". He continued to use the Enzed
logos, that is, both the name and drawing logos.
On 4 August 1982, the parties attempted to settle their
differences. On that dav a written agreement was made, the
parties to which were the third appellant, Bendara Pty
Limited and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, for.a
consideration of $2,250, agreed to cease using the business
name, Enzed Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service, to withdraw
from the next vellow pages telephone directory anv
advertisement which included a reference to the word "Enzed"
or incorporated the name logo or any logo substantially
identical with or deceptively similar to it, not to carry on
business under or by reference to the style and/or name,
Enzed Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service or a_ style or name
which included the word "Enzed" or any style or name
deceptively similar thereto. and to sell to the third
appellant the Enzed stock on hand for an amount to be
2 eee etneeLteaytanetttnsiene tmpmabinaliael eT ame A earn
determined.
Mr. Smith took steps to comply with the agreement. _He
registered a new business name, "C. & S. Hydraulic Services
(W.A.)"("C. & S."). He began using a new name logo,
notified existing customers, inserted advertisements stating
what the position then was and complied with the requirements
of the agreement in relation to the Perth yellow pages.
However, the white pages continued to have the "Enzed
Hydrauli¢e' Hose & Coupling Service" entry. This was published
aqain in August/September 1982 when a new edition of the
white pages of the telephone book appeared. It is to be
' observed that nothing was said in the agreement about the
drawing logo. Mr. Smith continued to use it on vans,
business cards and stationery. What might be described as
the van Liverv remained the same. Contender. the new Western
Australian distributor. complained but to no effect. The
appellants commenced these proceedings on 23 Auaust 1983.
Thev sought injunctions pursuant to s. 52 and para. 53(d) of
the Trade Practices Act. They also sought injunctions to
restrain alleged passing off of the respondents' business as
that of the third and fifth appellants and to restrain the
respondents from infringing the second appellant's copyright
in the drawing logo. They also sought damages.
On 24 Auqust 1983 the appellants made application for
interlocutory relief. The application was resolved when the
mesttenae hy, as Upetecbectioen dott ol pal anen Yast denne Ht deen
orators nent ta
8.
respondents gave a number of undertakings to the Court. The
undertakings required Wynthea Pty Limited to obliterate the
te wae -
arenes w
drawing: logo.*-from its service vans, to destroy all business
cards "fn ite possession bearing the drawing logo, not in
future to use the drawing logo on any of its plant or
literature and to give to the employees of Wynthea Pty
Limited a written direction signed by Mr. Smith and Mr.
Cooper that any person getting in touch with Wynthea and
seeking to deal with any of the applicants was to be informed
immediately that Wynthea had no connection with any of the
applicants.
The learned primary Judge found that the telex sent on
21 October 1981 did not terminate the distribution agreement
which Mr. Smith had made with Enzed Hyudraulics Pty Limited.
The agreement was already at anend. In his Honour's view
the aqreement had been terminated by the conduct of the
parties no later than September 1981. His Honour thouaht
that the respondents' right to use the Enzed name and logos
was dependent upon the agreement continuing in force and was
thus also terminated no later than September 1981. He
concluded that the respondent, Wynthea Pty Limited, had
contravened both s. 52 and para. 53(d) of the Trade Practices
Act between September 1981 and 27 August 1983 because:-
(i) it continued to carry on business under the name
"Enzed Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service";
9.
(iL) it continued to use the drawing logo;
(iii) Mr. Smith failed to take steps to remove the entry
from the 1982 white pages of the telephone directory.
The deadline for alterations to the entries therein
was the end of May 1982 (not the end of May 1981 as is
stated in one place in the judgment.)
Permanent intunctions to restrain further breaches of
the Trade Practices Act were granted. His Honour did not
deal with passing off because it was common ground that the
claim for passing off did not raise wider issues than the
claim based on breaches of the Trade Practices Act. His
Honour thought the question of whether the appellants were
entitled to relief in respect of their claim based on passing
off to be academic. His Honour found that Wynthea had
infrinaed the copyright of the second appellant in the
drawing logo. He thought that injunctive relief to restrain
further infringements should be aranted. His Honour then
went on to consider damages and reached the conclusion that
no award of damages should be made in favour of any of the
appellants. He also reached the conclusion that there should
be no order as to costs.
The principal matters relied upon by counsel for the
appellants in support of the appeal were as follows:-
l. Upon his Honour's findings of fact, he was bound, no
2.
10.
matter how difficult the task, to make some award of
damages to each of the appellants.
His Honour should have ordered the respondents to pay
the appellants' costs of the application.
The principal submissions made in support of the
cross-appeal were as follows:-
1.
It was not open to the learned primary Judge to find
conduct which was in breach of any provision of the
Trade Practices Act in so far as it was alleged that the
first respondent had engaged in that conduct prior to
September 1982. 'It was said that it was no part of the
appellants' case as pleaded or conducted that the first
respondent had enqaged in any offending conduct prior to
September 1982. The purpose of this submission was to
exclude from his Honour's findings a findina that the
respondents were under an obligation to secure the
removal of the Enzed entry from the 1982 white pades of
the telephone directory.
There was either no evidence or insufficient evidence to
support the finding by the learned primary Judqe that
during the period September 1982 to Auqust 1983 the
conduct of the first respondent resulted, ona not
insubstantial number of occasions, in confusion in the
minds of the public leading some of them to think that
C. & §. Hydraulic Services (W.A.), the respondent's new
ee ae ee ee ne ee en ee ee eee
ll.
name for Wynthea's business, and the Enzed business,
were one and the same and led others, conscious of the
fact' that ¢. & S. and Enzed were different businesses,
to think that upon dealing with C. & 8. they were
dealing with Enzed.
The learned primary Judge was in error in finding that
Mr. Smith's right to use the name Enzed, the name logo
and the drawing logo had ended by September 1981.
The learned primary Judge erred in finding that Mr.
Smith was, within the meaning of 3.75B of the Trade
Practices Act, a person involved in the contraventions
of the provisions of the Trade Practices Act by the
first respondent. This was because, so it was
submitted, Mr. Smith was the person for whose conduct
the first respondent was held to be vicariously liable
and could not thereby himself be made liable as an
accessorv.
The learned primarv Judae erred in finding that the
first respondent had infringed the second appellant's
copyright in the drawing logo because neither it nor any
of the other appellants was the owner of any copyright
.in the drawing logo in Australia; none was therefore a
competent applicant to rely on this cause of action.
His Honour should have ordered the appellants to pay the
respondents' costs of the application. Alternatively he
should have made an order that the appellants pay some
part of the respondents' costs.
'1'
'
12.
Because the cross-appeal challenges the fundamental
findings made by the learned primary Judge in favour of the
appellants, we find it more convenient to deal with the
cross-appeal first of all. If it should succeed in whole or
in part, there will be a consequent effect on the appellants'
position which will need to be taken into account when the
appeal, as distinct from the cross-appeal, is being
considered.
The various submissions of the parties require an
analysis of a number of his Honour's findings and some
reference to the evidence. We propose to undertake that
analysis and reference before going on to deal with the
various submissions which are involved.
His Honour reviewed certain evidence qiven bv persons
who were. for the most part, either customers of one or other
of the firms or who were potential customers of one or the
other. This evidence was to a dearee inconclusive, but
having reviewed it, his Honour said that he was satisfied
that during the period from the commencement by Contender of
its business, that is, about September 1982, until about the
end of August 1983, shortly after the undertakings were aqiven
to the Court on 24 August 1983, there were occasions on which
customers of Contender or other members of the public thought
that they were speaking to or dealing with employees or van
wae annette bisidte tetintntene &
13.
drivers of Contender, whereas in truth they were speaking to
or dealing with employees of the respondents' firm. In at
least éne_ instance the confusion resulted in the respondents'
firm obtaining a small order intended for Contender with the
consequent loss to Contender of that order. His Honour
continued: -
"The 1982 Perth White Pages seems to have
been the major source of this confusion; but
— for reasons I shall mention later, it is my
view that Mr. Smith should have taken steps
before the end of May 1982 to ensure that
the 1982 White Pages, which appeared in
August-September 1982, did not contain
reference to "Enzed Hydraulic Hose &
Coupling Service" with his own business
address and telephone number. Therefore, in
my opinion, the respondents were responsible
for some of the confusion that arose."
Later his Honour said:-
"Looked at over the period September 1982 to
Auqust 1983, I am satisfied that the conduct
of Wynthea resulted in a not insubstantial
number of occasions of confusion in the
minds of members of the public which led
some of them to think that C. & S. and
"Emzed" were one and the same business and
led others, conscious of the fact that
'Enzed' and C. & S. were different
businesses, to think that upon dealing with
Cc. & S. they were dealing with 'Enzed'."
His Honour then entered upon a review of the evidence
concerning the relationship between the appellants and the
respondents and referred to the fact that there had been no
'
tnreaqnebsiied ted e meine
14.
formal termination of the arrangement which had been made
between Mr. Smith and the Enzed Sydney company. However, his
Honour. found, as we have earlier mentioned, that that
relationship must be taken to have been terminated not later
than September 1981. By then, so his Honour said, Mr. Smith
had ceased buying Enzed products from any Enzed company, his
last purchase having been made in April 1981. His Honour
gaid that Mr. Smith's right to use the name "Enzed" and the
two logos arose because of his contract with the Sydney
company. .: Once the appointment as distributor was terminated,
Mr. Smith's right to use the name and the logos ceased. In
his Honour's view a term needed to be imported into the
contract to give it business efficacy. The term was that Mr.
Smith's entitlement to use the name "Enzed", and the two
logos and otherwise to represent his business as being
affiliated with or associated with the Enzed qroup subsisted
only so longa as did his distributorship. Once the contract
was terminated, so was his riaht to use the name and the
logos.
His Honour concluded that the first respondent's conduct
after August 1982 was misleading or deceptive within the
meaning of s. 52 of the Trade Practices Act and that it did
represent that it had a sponsorship, approval or affiliation
it did not have and was thus also in breach of para. 53(d) of
that Act. His Honour added:-
a ania penne ee ae oa See, co remmtalie faba penabadsiiae
15.
"The misleading and deceptive conduct was in
Wynthea's continuing to carry on business
under the name 'Enzed Hydraulic Hose &
- Coupling Service', and by continuing to use
""the- two logos, the vans, documents,
promotional and other literature all styled ~
either as 'Enzed' or as being in some way
associated or affiliated with it and as
representing that its business was that of
'Enzed'. Also Mr. Smith should have taken
steps to remove the telephone entry 'Enzed
Hydraulic Hose & Coupling Service' before
the end of May 1981 (sic. 1982)(which was
the deadline for inserting material for the
1982 Perth White Pages). After September
1981, at the latest, Mr. Smith had no right
to carry on business as 'Enzed Hydraulic
Hose & Coupling Service'. It was certainly
open to him to sell Enzed preducts if he
could obtain them and to state that he was a
seller of them, but he wag not entitled to
assert that he continued to be in effect the
'Enzed' Western Australian distributor."
The next matter his Honour considered was the effect of
the agreement made in August 1982. In his Honour's view the
aqreement did not purport to settle the whole dispute between
the parties. He thought that the agreement must be taken as
dealina with the matters mentioned in the agreement and with
no others. Thus his Honour rejected a submission made on
behalf of the appellants that the aqreement extended to
require Mr. Smith not to use the drawing logo and a
submission of the respondents that anything not dealt with in
specific terms by the agreement "assumes that Mr. Smith was
in effect given a licence to carry on his business ina
manner which otherwise would constitute a violation of the
third appellant's rights".
a
ferearen
- ee mente eee ae ea,
16.
As earlier mentioned, the August agreement was complied
with. But Mr. Smith continued to use the drawing logo and
the entry, Enzed, remained in the 1982 edition of the white
pages of the telephone directory. Mr. Smith continued to use
the drawing logo until the giving of the undertakings to the
Court on 24 August 1983 soon after the commencement of the
proceedings. His Honour was thus satisfied that between
September 1981 and 24 August 1983 the first respondent
engaged in conduct which contravened both provisions of the
Trade Prattices Act which were relied upon by the appellants.
His Honour next turned to the question of whether he
should grant permanent injunctive relief. 'He referred to the
fact that there had been no offending conduct after 24 Auaqust
1983. But he also said that at the time the proceedings were
commenced, the first respondent was acting in contravention
of the two provisions so that the undertakings qiven to the
Court still left open the possibilitv of conduct being
committed by the respondent which would constitute a
contravention. His Honour emphasised that it was essentially
the public interest that he was considering and not merely
the interests of the appellants. He concluded that it was in
the public interest that injunctions be granted to restrain
the first respondent from engaging in misleading or deceptive
conduct in its business of selling and servicing hydraulic
hoses and couplings and associated qoods bv representing that
17.
its business was associated with the business of the
appellants or any of then. He also thought that similar
relief: should be granted against Mr. 'Smith but not Mr.
Cooper. As mentioned, his Honour did not find it necessary
to deal separately with the claim based on passing off.
His Honour then dealt with the question of copyright.
We need not mention any part of his judgment on the question
of copyright except that which is raised for consideration by
the cross-appeal. There was no argument that the drawing
logo was not an artistic work, that copyright did not subsist
in it or that the copyright had not been infringed. It was
- nevertheless submitted by counsel for the respondents that
the second appellant was not a competent applicant because it
was not the owner of the copyright. The second appellant had
commissioned Mr. Anderson to design the logo. He was thus
the author of the work and the owner of the copvright. He
wag not a party to the proceedings with the result that the
cause of action based on infringement of copyright should
fail. His Honour rejected the submission. He heid that the
second appellant was a competent applicant in the
circumstances of this case by reason of the provisions of the
New Zealand Copyright Act which by sub-sec. 9(3) confers
ownership of copyright upon a person who has commissioned a
work. Whether his Honour was correct in applying the New
Zealand law is the question that arises for consideration.
and to which we shall come in due course.
mee
dest headed feheeneeurnin Sr *
'
18.
e final matter dealt with by his Honour was the
nl tase tes
question "of damages. He said that the appellants took as
the starting. point for their claim a budget prepared before
Contender commenced business, as amended by a supplementary
budget prepared in October 1982. His Honour said that the
appellants asserted that the budget as amended was a
reasonably accurate forecast of anticipated sales and profits
of the fifth appellant. As its-actual sales were lower, the
difference represented the base from which any computation of
loss or damage flowed. After a lengthy analysis, his Honour
concluded that neither the original budget nor the budget as
amended provided a reliable base for the determination of any
damage suffered -by Contender by reason of the respondents'
conduct. Nevertheless his Honour went on to consider the
claim for damages on the assumption that. notwithstanding his
findind, the budget as amended did provide a reliable basis
for the calculation for the claim for damages.
He said that from the commencement of its tradina
activities Contender had fared poorly. Figures for September
and the first half of October 1982 were 50 per cent behind
the initial budget figures. His Honour concluded that
Contender's performance was due to a number of factors, some
of which he specified, although making it clear that the list
was not exhaustive. The list was not formulated in any order
of priority. Eight factors were mentioned. Seven related to
:
pa Bee
ane te
19.
matters quite unconnected with any conduct on the part of the
respondents. They were that the Western Australian market
for hydraulic hoses, couplings and fittings was highly
competitive, the Enzed pricing policy prevented Contender
from granting any substantial discounts, Contender was not
efficiently managed, there was a rather unhappy working
environment in Contender, it did not obtain the benefit from
the International Harvester Group of companies which it had
expected, original equipment manufacturers tended to supply
customers: with spare parts, and the market for hydraulic
hoses, couplings and fittings was not buoyant during much of
the period after September 1982. His Honour's fina] factor
which involved conduct on the part of the respondents was
stated as follows:-
"(h) Competition provided bv Cc. & Ss.
probablv had some adverse effect on
Contender''s business. The problem in
this case is that it is impossible to
state the extent to which the
activities of the respondents caused
loss or damage to Contender's business.
The matters which I have mentioned as
having some bearing upon the poor
performance of Contender's business are
not capable of being treated piecemeal.
They must be viewed together. I accept
that C. & S. caused some loss or damage
to Contender; but it is impossible to
calculate the amount of that loss or,
indeed, the basis on which it can be
determined or measured. Any attempt to
determine that loss would be sheer
speculation."
After specifving the various matters to which we have
Im Abe twee tneblatertnthnaledet a nctcbembalete win
ie ee nt
20.
referred his Honour said, "I am not satisfied, however, that
any substantial loss or damage was suffered by Contender by
reasore of the- conduct of C. & S$."
After referring to some other matters, his Honour stated
his conclusion as to damages as follows:-
"I am not satisfied therefore that, even if
it were legitimate to regard the amended
_ budget of Contender as a reliable base from
which to determine ioss or damage resulting
from the activities of the respondents, it
could be said with any confidence that any
such loss or damage is attributable to the
conduct of the respondents. The reality is
that Contender' s poor performance is
essentially due to causes other than any
competition presented by the respondents.
In addition, it is impossible to say to what
extent any diminution of Contender''s
business due to the competition of C. & S.
can he further severed into legitimate
competition and competition attributable to
the unfair trade practices of C. & S."
In the result, although the applicants succeeded in
their claim for injunctive relief against the respondents,
they failed in their claim for damages. It was largely for
this reason that his Honour refused to make any order for
costs.
In their cross-appeal the respondents attacked almost
all his Honour's conclusions. They contended that they were
entitled to continue to use the Enzed name and the drawing
logo after the Auqust 1982 agreement. They disputed his
2i.
Honour's finding that the original franchise agreement had
come to anend by September 1981 and they submitted that,
whether it had" by then come to an end or not, they continued
to have the right to use the Enzed name and the logos. These
rights were affected by the August 1982 agreement but only so
far as was specifically provided. They contended that the
August 1982 agreement was intended to bring about a full
settlement of all disputes and that what it did not forbid
they-were entitled to do.
Having given these various submissions due
consideration, we are satisfied that they should be rejected:
No error is disclosed in that part of his Honour's judgment
which deals with these submissions.
Counsel for the- respondents analyzed the consumer
evidence. He said that it disclosed confusion in only one or
two cases. These were said to be of a minor kind. We think
there is force in this submission, but that does not warrant
interference with any of his Honour's findings earlier quoted
(p. 13). As his Honour said:-
"The evidence of the consumer witnesses was
relevant to the issue of misleading or
deceptive conduct (also to passing off),
but, as has been said more than once by the
courts, the determination of these questions
ultimately rests with the Court and its
assessment of the evidence as a whole."
Rarer tort Way NURI VENT WNT Me Cte OnE |
woe te ate ett eet ae
22.
In other words it was for the Court to determine objectively
whether the conduct in question was misleading or deceptive
or was likely to be so.
We have considered the evidence and looked at a number
of the exhibits including photographs of the respondents'
vans and facsimiles of business cards and stationery which
were used. There is also the matter of the entry in the 1982
white pages of the telephone directory. The get-up of the
vans ag shown in the photographs has a substantial similarity
to that used on Contender's vans. The same is true of
business cards and other stationery. As in all these case'
one must make a value judqment. One must bear in mind that
it is unlikely that members of the public, whether those who
are likely to have dealings with either of the parties or
not, will see the two vans together so that they are able to
make comparisons. Having considered his Honour's findinas on
this part of the case we see no reason to disturb them.
Indeed we are in agreement with them.
Much was said of his Honour's finding that the principal
problem was caused by the existence of the entry in the 1982
white pages of the telephone directory. His Honour's
conclusion in this regard no doubt stemmed to a large extent
from his consideration of the consumer evidence to which we
have earlier referred. Undoubtedly his Honour's primary
finding in this regard was well open. But the respondents
a Sane AE vealed Lalas etirhtennde
a
i
23.
said that they had come to meet a case which was based on
misleading or deceptive conduct having occurred over the
period September 1982 to August 1983. For an entry to be
changed, in the white pages, instructions had to be given to
Telecom no later than the end of May 1982. It was no part of
the appellants' case, so the respondents said, to complain of
conduct which had occurred as early as May 1982. That was
particularly s0 bearing in mind that Contender did not
commence to carry on business until August 1982.
His Honour found, (correctly, as we have said), that the
original distribution agreement with Mr. Smith came to an end
no later than September 1981. The' respondents were not
thereafter entitled to use the Enzed name or either of the
loaos. They were therefore under an obligation to remove the
name from the telephone book as soon as reasonably possible.
They could have done so at any time up to the end of Mav
1982. It follows that the entrv in the telephone book as 1t
was in the period of twelve months or so prior to August 1983
Was anentry which the respondents were obliged to have
removed and which they could have removed if they had taken
action in time. They did not remove it, so it seems to us,
because they considered themselves entitled to continue to
use it. Their belief in this regard was ill-founded.
The presence of the entry in the telephone book was, in
his Honour's view. "the major source" of the confusion
24.
between the two organizations. More importantly, its
presence had the effect or was likely to have the effect of
misleading persons dealing or intending to deal with one or
other of the two businesses. Because of their erroneous
belief, the respondents failed to take steps to remove the
entry well aware that it would remain as an indication of
their business name in Western Australia throughout the life
of the 1982 white pages. In our opinion, the whole of these
circumstances constituted misleading or deceptive conduct on
the part' of the respondents. As a result of it the
respondents achieved a situation in which the offending entry
remained in the white pages throughout the period of 12
months ending about the time of the giving of the
undertakings in August 1983, that is, the period during which
the respondents agree the appellants did assert misleading or
deceptive conduct on their part. For that reason no error
is disclosed in his Honour's taking into account the entry in
the telephone book as part of the misleading or deceptive
conduct in which the respondents enaqaged during the period
September 1982 to August 1983.
Our conclusion in this reqard avoids the necessity of
considering whether the appellants did conduct their case
upon the basis of misleading or deceptive conduct occurring
prior to Auqust 1982. Counsel were not at one in relation to
that matter. All we would say is that if the appellants did
confine their case to the period after August 1982, thev were
spews euttebian af
aah hereon
es
25.
nevertheless entitled to rely upon the entry in the 1982
telephone book as part of the misleading conduct of the
respondents during that period.
Then it was submitted that the appellants had no
reputation in Enzed products in Western Australia. It was
common ground that the relevant market was the Western
Australian market and not the Australian market generally.
Counsel for the respondents pointed to the fact that the
first two-appellants carried on business only in New Zealand
and the third and fourth were in Victoria. Contender did not
commence business until September 1982 at the beginning of
the period when the: offending conduct " was alleged to have
occurred.
Counsel for the appellants submitted that reputation
was irrelevant. That is not a matter we find necessarv to
deal with. If reputation is required, there is ample
evidence of it. Enzed products were marketed in Western
Australia by companies associated with Mr. Smith between Mav
1980 and about April 1981 or a little later. Prior to 1980
they had been marketed by other companies as well. Mr,
Smith's marketing was carried out under the Enzed name and
logos. He continued to use the name and both the logos until
August 1982, and the name (in the telephone book) and drawing
"logo until August 1983. The inference is open and should be
drawn that during the whole of this period he was purporting
26.
to represent the Enzed group and to be selling products which
were either Enzed products or products sponsored by it.
Those products had had a market in Western Australia since
before 1980.
In passing off cases a plaintiff needs to establish
reputation in the country or part thereof where the passing
off is alleged to have occurred. But this does not require
the _plaintiff to be present or to be himself carrying on
"pusiness « in that place. It is the existence of the
reputation in that place which is the deciding factor. No
doubt Contender developed no reputation until after it began
to trade in September i982. But the Enzed group had a
reputation for their business and their products in Western
Australia at all material times. The evidence is clear that
the respondents sought to take what advantage they could from
that reputation by continuing to use the Enzed name and the
logos. We would therefore reject the submission that the
appellants had no reputation in Western Australia at the
relevant time.
. Counsel for the appellants submitted that his Honour
erred in granting permanent injunctive relief. Upon the
basis of the conclusions which we have so far reached we are
of opinion that such a_ submission has no substance. The
respondents were carrying on the offending conduct until
restrained bv the undertakinas which thev qave the Court once
wer
pe settee attained annie tic died aaplbab renee bo
27,
the proceedings had been commenced and an application for
interlocutory relief was on foot. If it had not been for the
proceedings, it would seem probable that the conduct would
have continued. We are reinforced in that conclusion by a
consideration of some of the principal submissions upon which
the respondents relied. It was their case that they were
entitled to use the drawing logo and to maintain the name
Enzed in the telephone directory. This seems tous to
indicate that if they had not been restrained by the
interlocutory relief, and subsequently the permanent relief,
they would have continued with the conduct of which the
appellants complained.
Next it was submitted that no relief should have been
qranted aqainst Mr. Smith. It was said that he was the
person for whose conduct Wynthea Pty Limited was held to be
vicariously liable and could not therefore himself be made
liable as an accessory. Reliance was placed upon dicta in
Mallan v. Lee (1949) 80 C.L.R. 198 per Dixon J. (as he was)
at pp. 213-216.
In Mallan v. Lee the company's liability was vicarious.
It would not be in breach of s. 230 of the Income Tax
Assessment Act 1936 unless its public officer knowingly and
wilfully understated on its behalf the amount of income which
it derived. Here the legislation is quite different. The
Court's power to grant injunctive relief is provided for in
Meee ede lae ane
28.
s. 80 of the Trade Practices Act. The Court is, inter alia,
empowered. to grant such relief against a person who is
engaged in; "or is proposing to engage in, conduct that
constitutes or would constitute a contravention of a
provision of Part V of the Act in which ss. 52 and 53 appear.
The Court also has power to grant an injunction restraining a
person from aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a
person to contravene such a provision or from being in any
way knowingly concerned in, or party to, the contravention by
a person*'of such a provision. In our opinion the section
conferred clear power upon his Honour to grant injunctive
relief against Mr. Smith. The misleading or deceptive
conduct was that of Wynthea Pty. Limited. Mr. Smith procured
that conduct and was knowingly concerned in Wynthea's
contravention of the Act. His Honour did not award damages.
But s. 82 of the Trade Practices Act when read together with
s. 75B conferred power on the Court to make an award of
damages aqainst Mr. Smith if damages were found proved. We
would therefore reject the submission concerning Mr. Smith's
liability.
'80 far as the cross-appeal is concerned that leaves the
question of copyright to which we now come. Lockhart J.
found that the drawing logo was an artistic work, the author
of which was Mr. Anderson, a resident of New Zealand. Mr.
Anderson was commissioned and paid in New Zealand to make the
drawing for the second appellant. The learned primary Judge
\
wn gethee etn &
29.
also found that under New Zealand law the second appellant
was the owner of the copyright in the drawing.
After a consideration of ss. 115 and 184(1)(a) of the
Copyright Act 1968 and the Copyright (International
Protection) Requlations, his Honour said:-
"In my opinion the Copyright (International
Protection) Requlations operate to entitle
_. the second applicant to sue under s. 115 of
the Australian Act, as owner of the
copyright, for its infringement. One turns
to New Zealand law to determine whether the
second applicant is the owner of the
copyright: see in particular 3s. 9 of the New
Zealand Copyright Act.
In my opinion Wynthea has infringed the
copyright of the second applicant in the
drawing logo."
The question is whether it was competent for the second
appellant to sue for an infringement of copyright.
Difficulty arises because the Australian and New Zealand
Copyright Acts contain different provisions concernina the
ownership of the copyright in commissioned work. Sub-section
9(3) of the Copyright Act 1962 (N.Z.) provides, in effect,
that where a person commissions, inter alia. the making of a
drawing-and pays or agrees to pay for it in money or money's
worth and the work is made in pursuance of that commission,
the person who commissioned the work shall be entitled to any
copyright subsisting therein.
1 ae oe
30.
Section 35 of the Australian Act provides for the
ownership of copyright in original works. Subject to the
section; the. author of a literary, dramatic, musical or
artistic work is the owner of any copyright subsisting in the
work by virtue of "this Part". Section 35 appears in Part
IIIT which is headed, "Copyright in Original, Literary,
Dramatic, Musical and Artistic Works." Sub-section 35(5)
provides that where a person makes for valuable consideration
an agreement with another person for, inter alia, the drawing
of a portrait or the making of an engraving by the other
person and the work is made in pursuance of the agreement,
the first mentioned person is the owner of the copyright.
There was- no submission in the present 'case that the drawing
logo was a portrait or an engraving; it would seem that no
such submission could have been successful (see the
definition of "enaravina" in sub-section 10(1) and Ricketson.
The Law of Intellectual Property (1984) pp. 316-7.
Section 32 deals with original works in which copyright
subsists. It distinquishes between published and unpublished
works. The drawing logo is a published work. In the case of
such. a work, copyright. subsists in it only if the first
publication of the work took place in Australia and the
author of the work was a qualified person at the time when
the work was first published. "Qualified person" means in
effect an Australian citizen or a person resident in
Australia. Thus s. 32 read in isolation would mean that no
Smee tad et ntbrananmeerd —
31.
Australian copyright could subsist in the drawing logo
because the first publication took place in New Zealand and
the artist (i.e. the author), Mr. Anderson, was not a
qualified person.
However, 3. 32 commences with the words, "Subfect to
this Act". It is necessary to read it in conjunction with
certain of the provisions of Part VIII of the Act. That Part
is entitled, "Extension or Restriction of Operation of Act".
Section '184, which is one of the sections in Part VIII,
provides, so far as relevant, as follows:-
"184.(1)Subfect to this section, the
regulations may make provision
applying any of the provisions of
this Act specified in the
regulations, in relation to a country
(other than Australia) so specified,
in any one or more of the following
ways:
(a)so that the provisions apply in
relation to literary, dramatic,
musical or artistic works or editions
first published, or sound recordings
or cinematograph films made or first
published, in that country in like
manner as those provisions apply in
relation to literary, dramatic,
musical or artistic works or editions
first published, or sound recordings
or cinematograph films made or first
published, in Australia;
CC
(c)so that the provisions apply in
relation to persons who, at a
material tine, are citizens or
nationals of that country in like
manner as those provisions apply in
relation to persons who, at sucha
32.
time, are Australian citizens;
(d)so that the provisions apply in
relation to persons who, at a
material time, are resident in that
country in like manner as those
provisions apply in relation to
persons who, at sucha time, are
resident in Australia;
General power to make regulations is conferred
of the Copyright Act. Pursuant to ss. 184 and
Copyright, (International Protection Requlations)
by s. 249
249, the
were made.
Regulation 4 of the regulations, so far as material, is as
follows:-
"4(1)
(3)
Subject to these Requlations. the
provisions of the Act applv in relation
to literarv, dramatic, musical and
artistic works and editions first
published. and sound recordinas and
cinematoqraynh films made or first
published, in a country that
constitutes. or forms part of. the
territorv of a Country specified in
Part I or Part II of Schedule I in like
Manner as those provisions applv in
relation to literary, dramatic, musical
and artistic works and editions first
published, and sound recordings and
cinematograph films made or first
published, in Australia.
Subject to these Requlations, the
provisions of the Act relating to works
and other subject-matter apply in
relation to persons who, at a material
time, are citizens or nationals of a
Country specified in Part I or Part II
of Schedule I in like manner as those
petaeea tends ote deans o
33.
provisions apply in relation to persons
who, at a material time, are Australian
citizens.
(4) Subject to these Regulations, the
ee provisions of the Act relating to works 7
and other subject-matter apply in
relation to persons who, at a material
time, are resident ina country that
constitutes, or forms part of, the
territory of a Country specified in
Part I or Part II of Schedule I in like
manner as those provisions apply in
relation to persons who, at a material
time, are resident in Australia."
New: Zealand is a country specified in Part I of Schedule
I to the Regulations. The effect of reg. 4 is that the
provisions of the Australian Act apply in relation to the
drawing logo and Mr. Anderson. in like manner as_ the
provisions apply in relation to artistic works first
published in Australia and to citizens or residents of
Australia.
Under the Copyright Act the only person who may bring an
action for infringement is the owner of the copyright or an
exclusive licensee thereof; ss. 115 and 119. Copyright mav
be assigned or may devolve by operation of law: s. 196.
There is no question of assiqnment or devolution by operation
of law here. The question is whether the second appellant
who commissioned Mr. Anderson to design the drawing logo may
sue. In Australia it could only do so if it were the owner;
it would not be the owner under Australian law; see sub-secs.
35(2) and (5) mentioned above.
34.
The question then is whether the operation of s. 184 and
reg. 4 of the Copyright (International Protection)
Requiations lead to the conclusion that one looks at the New
Zealand Act to determine the ownership of the copyright for
present purposes. Uniess they do, the second appellant has
no title to sue.
_Regulation 4(1) is expressed in general terms and
without limitation. Consequently when it stipulates that the
provisions of the Act-apply in relation to the drawing logo
and to a New Zealand resident, there is no reason to exclude
the Australian provisions relating to ownership of copyright.
The protection afforded by the Australian Act in relation to
the subject matter and persons referred to in s. 184 and rea.
4 is no areater and no less than that provided for works
first published in Australia bv a qualified person. It is
difficult to see how anv other interpretation of req. 4 was
intended when it is borne in mind that there is in req. 4 no
express or implied limitation on the operation of the
Australian provisions.
If it be thought that there is any uncertainty or
ambiguity in the provisions of the Copyright Act and the
relevant requlations, that uncertainty or ambiquity is
resolved in favour of the construction we have adopted if one
has regard to the provisions of the Berne Convention to which
'
'
arta tel, tan abet ts
35.
both Australia and New Zealand are parties. That such a
course is permissible, if there be uncertainty or anbiguity,
is well established; Salamon v. Commissioners of Customs and
'Excise £19671 29.B. 116 at pp. 143-5 and Warwick Film
Productions Limited v. Eisinger £19693 1 Ch. 508 at p. 521.
The Berne Convention of 1886 has been revised on a
number of occasions, lastly by the Paris Revision in 1971.
Australia is bound by that Revision but New Zealand is not.
However,.New Zealand is bound by the Rome Revision of 1928 to
which Australia was also a party. That Revision provided in
Article 4(1) that authors who are nationals of any of the
countries of, the Unton shall enjoy in' countries other than
the country 'of 'oriain of the work the rights which the
respective laws do now or may hereafter arant "to natives" as
well as the rights specially qranted by the Convention;
Copinger on the Law of Copyright, 7th Ed., p. 411. Article
5(1) of the Paris Revision is in similar terms: Copinger and
Skone James on Copyright, 12th Ed.. p. 853. The Copyright
(International Protection) Regulations were made to qive
effect to Australila's international obligations under the
Berne Convention. They_are in accordance with its provisions
in that they afford national treatment to authors who are
nationals of other countries of the Union.
In summary req. 4 effects a limited extension to the
Australian Act. If it is only bv reason of place of
36.
publication or residential or other status of the author that
the Australian Act does not apply, then reg. 4 provides that
the Act may, in specified circumstances, nevertheless apply.
Regulation 4 has expressly specified the areas in which the
operation of the Act is to be extended. Other than in the
specified areas of extension, the Act is to operate normally
and without modification. It follows that in the absence of
an assignment or exclusive licence Mr. Anderson is the only
person. entitled to bring an action in Australia for
infringement. Accordingly, we would allow the cross-appeal
in relation to the question of copyright.
We turn then to the appeal itself. The principal
submission relied upon by counsel for the appellants was
that, upon the basis of his findings, his Honour was bound to
make some award of damages to each of the appellants.
Central to the appellants' submission that his Honour was
bound to award some damages 1s his finding already quoted in
the context earlier mentioned which was as follows:-
"I accept that C. & S. caused some loss or
damage to Contender; but it is impossible to
calculate the amount of that loss or,
indeed, the basis on which it can be
determined or measured. Any attempt to
determine that loss would be sheer
speculation."
But this statement must be read in the light of a number
of qualifications one of which we may describe as an
he re mee
37.
overriding qualification and which we shall mention last.
The other qualifications are:-
(a) "I am not satisfied, however, that any substantial loss
or damage was suffered by Contender by reason of the
conduct of C. & S."
(b) "The reality is that Contender's poor performance is
essentially due to causes other than any competition
presented by the respondents."
(c) _"... it is impossible to say to what extent any
diminution of Contender's business due to the
competition of C. & S. can he further severed into
legitimate competition and competition attributable to
the unfair trade practices of C. & S."
That latter statement led to some discussion during the
argument as to whether the matters stated in para. (h) (p.
19), being the last of his Honour's eiqht specified factors
explaining Contender's poor performance, were intended to
embrace both fair and unfair competition by C. & 5. We think
the better view is that they were and that explains the
qualification which his Honour later made.
The overriding qualification to which we refer was his
Honour's clear statement that he rejected the amended budget
as a basis for the quantification of the appellants' damages.
His Honour made that clear ona number of occasions, last of
all towards the end of his judqment after he had specified
the manv reasons why he thought that Contender had fared
badly. He said:-
38.
. 'Tam not satisfied therefore that, even if
"~~ "te were legitimate to regard the amended
"-. budget. of Contender as a reliable base from
. . which to determine loss or damage resulting
from the activities of the respondents, it
could be said with any conf idence that any
such loss or damage is attributable to the
conduct of the respondents."
It is to be observed that this sentence immediately precedes
the qualification set out in (b) above and that the last part
of the sentence is the explanation for the statement made in
(b).
Counsel for the appellants did not attempt before us to
tie his flag to the masthead of the amended budget. He did
not submit that his Honour's findings concerning it should be
disturbed. All he said was that the budget provided some
guide as to the upper limit of the claim. Thereafter it went
into the backaround of the case.
But counsel submitted that upon his Honour's findings he
was bound to make some award of damages to each of the
appellants, no matter that the task was difficult and
involved much speculation. For this submission he relied
upon Chaplin v. Hicks £19111 2 K.B. 786 and upon a number of
other authorities which have followed it. Chaplin v. Hicks
was acase inwhich the plaintiff sued the defendant for
breach of contract because she was wrongfully deprived of a
39.
chance of being amongst the finalists in a competition which
the defendant had conducted. There was no issue in the Court
of Appeal as to the defendant's breach of contract. Nor was
there any doubt that the plaintiff had suffered some loss, no
matter how difficult it was to quantify it. The only
question was whether the award of £100 damages to the
plaintiff by the jury should be set aside and judgment
entered for nominal damages instead. The Court of Appeal
rejected the submission. Fletcher Moulton L.J. said (p.
796)3-
"But in most cases it may be said that there
is no recognised measure of damages and the
jury must give what they think to be an
adequate solatium under all the
circumstances of the case".
In Biggin & Co. Limited v. Permanite Limited [£1951] 1
K.B. 422, Devlin J. (as he was) said (pp. 438-439) :-
"Is the plaintiff to recover nominal damages
only because he cannot prove against either
defendant what part of the depreciation in
value was due to his acts? It is one thing
to say as I have said that this is the sort
of situation which parties in contemplating
the measure of damages would be glad to
avoid, and it is another thing to say that
it is one which must necessarily result in
an injured plaintiff obtaining no
satisfaction. I think that in such a
situation the court is bound to do the best
that it can ... It is only that where
precise evidence is obtainable the court
naturally expects to have it. Where it is
not, the court must do the best it can."
ee eK
:
wt ated nmeetbles Ad tenth
ar
tment dabemnlne en all cee hahah tenets
40.
The emphasis is ours.
In Callaghan v. William C. Lynch Pty Limited (£19623
N.S.W.R. 871 the Full Court of the Supreme Court of New South
Wales said (p. 877):-
"Thus, a jury, doing the best it can, may
have to form conclusions on matters, on
slender material; and to make allowance for
— contingencies, even to the extent of guess-
work or speculation
eee reeesreeeroses ae meet eee eee ner see sereeeeeesas
many cases illustrate that uncertainty in
the quantification of damage, either in
cases of contract or tort, does not prevent
an assessment; provided that some broad
estimate can be made".
Counsel for the appellants relied on a number of other
authorities to which we do not find it necessary to refer.
The principle is clear. If the Court finds damage has
occurred it must do its best to quantifv the loss even 1f a
deqree of speculation and quess work is involved.
Furthermore, if actual damage is suffered, the award must he
for more than nominal damages. We should add that we can see
no reason why this principle should not apply in cases under
the Trade _ Practices Act as well as in cases at common law.
We emphasise, however, that the principle applies only when
the court finds that loss or damage has occurred. It is not
enough for a plaintiff merely to show wrongful conduct by the
defendant.
Mem at wt hae ow
she theme =
41.
The first question to be resolved is whether counsel was
entitled to put aside the budget upon which he had relied at
the trial and, before us, to take advantage of such findings
as were made in favour of the appellants in his Honour's
secondary approach to the question of damages which, as we
have said, was made subject to his rejection of the primary
approach. In our opinion counsel is entitied to take the
course he has. Really his Honour approached the matter by
putting the budget aside and then examining the evidence to
see whether he was persuaded, nevertheless, that some basis
existed for an award of damages. That is not precisely how
his Honour expressed himself but that is the effect of what
was done:
Upon the basis of the analysis of his Honour's findinas
earlier made, the question then arises as to whether counsel
for the appellant was correct in sayina that his Honour found
that Contender suffered some damaqe. It is convenient to
mention at this stage that there is no indication in his
Honour's judqment that he found that any damage had been
suffered by any appellant except Contender. Counsel for the
appellants, nevertheless, submitted that it was apparent that
each of the first four appellants (and, we assume, CAPS) had
suffered some damage because of the reputation they have in
Western Australia in Enzed products. In our opinion there is
no basis in the evidence to which we were referred for that
en yl ane ae eke
42.
submission. The submission should therefore be rejected.
Then, in relation to the second and third appellants, it
was submitted that-they were entitled to damages because of
the loss of wholesale business due in turn to business lost
by Contender itself. That submission depends in part on the
outcome of the submission that Contender was entitled to an
award of damaqes.
We turn to that question. It gives rise to more
difficult questions. That is partly due to some ambiguity in
the language used in the judgment. At times his Honour
appears to be saying that he has found that Contender
suffered some damaqe. Importantly, however, "his Honour 's
final conclusion earlier quoted was:-
"I am not satisfied therefore that... it
could be said with any confidence that any
such loss or damage is attributable to the
conduct of the respondents. The reality is
that Contender's poor performance is
essentially due to causes other than any
competition presented by the respondents."
In our opinion, that is tantamount to saying that Contender
had not established any damage as a resuit of the conduct of
which it complained. It follows that his Honour correctly
declined -to award any damages either to Contender or to the
second and third appellants.
ech teatech mene
em bee bie thal
et
43.
We should add that counsel for the appellants expressly
declined. to make any submission challenging his Honour's
primary ffheings on the question of damages. The reason for
this was, no-doubt, that in counsel's submission the findings
disclosed that his Honour had found some damage to have been
suffered. Be that as it may, we have not ourselves analyzed
the evidence to determine whether his Honour's findings
should be disturbed. We would say, however, that having
heard. the various submissions of counsel for both the
appellants and the respondents and looked at a great deal of
the material which was before his Honour, it does not readily
eccur to us that any challenge to his Honour's primary
findings' on the question of damages would have been
successful. In this reqard we have not overlooked his
finding (p. 13 above) that in at least one instance the
confusion between the two businesses resulted in the
respondents' firm obtaining a small order intended for
Contender with the consequent loss to Contender of that
order. If that were the only evidence on this matter, as we
believe it is, damage would not be established. One would
need to know whether the order would have been a profitable
one. There is no evidence of this. One would plainly
require that evidence in a case such as this because of his
Honour's findings in relation to the many reasons for the
unsatisfactory performance of Contender.
Finally, there is the question of the costs of the
44,
hearing at first instance. Ought his Honour's decision to
make no order as to costs be disturbed? From the appellants'
point 'of view our conclusion would mean no change to the
substantive result except that their cause of action for
infringement of copyright would have failed. They are,
therefore, in a somewhat worse position than they were under
his Honour's orders. It is true that they were held to be
entitled to injunctive relief. But from what we were told in
argument, a great deal of the hearing at first instance was
taken up with evidence concerning the damages claim. In
those circumstances we would not be disposed to make an order
for costs more favourable to the appellants than was hig
Honour's order.
We would have the same view of the respondents'
situation, subject to the question of whether there needs to
be anv change to take into account our view that the cause of
action for infringement of copvright should fail. In our
opinion very little extra time could have been involved in
relation to this question. Furthermore, the appellants were
entitled to injunctive relief for their causes of action
based on breaches of the Trade Practices Act. In practical
terms this relief yielded them protection which was no less
extensive than the protection they would have received from
an iniunction restraining further infringement of copyright.
Finallv, his Honour did not award any damages in respect of
the infringement. In all those circumstances we would not
we
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or dame
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45.
disturb his Honour's order as to costs.
fies. would: therefore dismiss the appeal and uphold the
cross-appeal in so far as it relates to copyright; we would
otherwise dismiss the cross-appeal. In the light of the
respondents' success on the question of copyright, we would
order the appeliants to pay one-fifth of the respondents'
costs of the appeal and the cross-appeal. The two were heard
together and we think that this is amore practical order
than an order distinguishing between the costs of the appeal
and the costs of the cross~appeal.
recedied
¥cerntfy shat this and che BAL orecedieg
t f che rc.sons for
pages 2re a true copy of che rco.con
judgment herein of tne Court
Lb thon
ged 6 DECEMBER PPA