Sports Break Travel Pty Ltd v P & O Holidays Pty Ltd [2000] FCA 924

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Sports Break Travel Pty Limited v P & O Holidays Limited [2000] FCA 924 TRADE MARKS – infringement suit – whether use of word constituting a word mark was a trade mark use – nature and purpose of use – context – meaning of word "schoolies" – whether the purpose of use was to be ascertained subjectively or objectively – whether the mark was liable to be expunged – whether it was to any extent inherently adapted to distinguish the services of the applicant from the services of other persons – whether because of the extent to which the applicant had used the mark before the filing date it did distinguish the applicant's services – use by the applicant of the word as a descriptive word – greater relevance of passing off cases since enactment of Trade Marks Act 1995. Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth), ss 41, 57, 88(2)(a), 120, 233 The Shell Company of Australia Limited v Esso Standard Oil (Australia) Limited (1963) 109 CLR 407 applied Edward Young & Co Ltd v Grierson Oldham & Co Ltd (1924) 41 RPC 548 applied Johnson & Johnson Australia Pty Limited v Sterling Pharmaceuticals Pty Limited (1991) 30 FCR 326 applied Musidor BV v Tansing (1994) 52 FCR 363 applied Top Heavy Pty Ltd v Killin (1996) 34 IPR 282 applied Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV v Remington Products Australia Pty Limited [2000] FCA 876 applied Wrigley's (Australasia) Limited v Life Savers (Australasia) Limited (1936) 37 S.R. (N.S.W.) 9 followed Pepsico Australia Pty Ltd v Kettle Chip Company Pty Ltd (1996) 33 IPR 161 referred to Clark Equipment Co v Registrar of Trade Marks (1964) 111 CLR 511 applied Unilever Ltd's (Striped Toothpaste No. 2) Trade Marks [1987] RPC 13 referred to Powell v Glow Zone Products Pty Ltd (1997) 150 ALR 411 referred to Blount Inc. v Registrar of Trade Marks (1998) 83 FCR 50 referred to Eclipse Sleep Products Incorporated v The Registrar of Trade Marks (1959) 102 CLR 650 referred to Oxford University Press v Registrar of Trade Marks (1990) 17 IPR 509 referred to Yorkshire Copper Works Ltd.'s Application for a Trade Mark (1953) 71 RPC 150 referred to Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc v Registrar of Trade Marks [2000] FCA 177 referred to B.M. Auto Sales Pty Ltd v Budget Rent A Car System Pty Ltd (1976) 51 ALJR 254 referred to LSK Microwave Advance Technology Pty Ltd v Rylead Pty Ltd (1989) 16 IPR 107 referred to SPORTS BREAK TRAVEL PTY LIMITED v P & O HOLIDAYS LIMITED NG791 of 1995 BURCHETT J 7 JULY 2000 SYDNEY