Telstra Corporation Limited v Phone Directories Company Pty Ltd [2010] FCA 44

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Telstra Corporation Limited v Phone Directories Company Pty Ltd [2010] FCA 44 Citation: Telstra Corporation Limited v Phone Directories Company Pty Ltd [2010] FCA 44

Parties: TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED (ACN 051 775 556) and SENSIS PTY LTD (ACN 007 423 912) v PHONE DIRECTORIES COMPANY PTY LTD (ACN 059 776 091), AUSTRALIAN LOCAL DIRECTORIES PTY LTD (ACN 078 856 318), ADAM HARGRAVES, GLENN HARGRAVES, DANIEL STOTEN and LOCAL DIRECTORIES PTY LTD (ACN 130 550 971)

File number: VID 276 of 2007

Judge: GORDON J

Date of judgment: 8 February 2010

Catchwords: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – whether copyright subsists in White Pages and Yellow Pages directories as original literary works – central concepts under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) – centrality of authorship – whether the contributions to the directories involved the necessary independent intellectual effort or sufficient effort of a literary nature

Words & Phrases: "author", "independent intellectual effort", "original", "sufficient effort of a literary nature"

Legislation: Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) US Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act 2004 (Cth)

Cases cited: Autocaps (Aust) Pty Ltd v Pro-Kit Pty Ltd (1999) 46 IPR 339 Autodesk Inc v Dyason (1992) 173 CLR 330 Cala Homes (South) Ltd v Alfred McAlpine Homes East Ltd (No. 1) [1995] FSR 818 Data Access Corporation v Powerflex Services Pty Ltd (1999) 202 CLR 1 Desktop Marketing Systems Pty Ltd v Telstra Corporation Ltd (2002) 119 FCR 491 Football League Ltd v Littlewoods Pools Ltd [1959] Ch 637 IceTV Pty Limited v Nine Network Australia Pty Limited (2009) 254 ALR 386 Interlego AG v Croner Trading Pty Ltd (1992) 39 FCR 348 Hollinrake v Truswell [1894] 3 Ch 420 Ladbroke (Football) Ltd v William Hill (Football) Ltd [1964] 1 WLR 273 Larrikin Music Publishing Pty Ltd v EMI Songs Australia Pty Limited [2010] FCA 29 Levy v Rutley (1871) LR 6 CP 523 Liftronic Pty Ltd v Unver (2001) 179 ALR 321 Macmillan and Co Ltd v Cooper (1923) 1B IPR 204 Metwally v University of Wollongong (1985) 60 ALR 68 Microsoft Corporation v DHD Distribution Pty Ltd (t/as Austin Computers) (1999) 45 IPR 459 Microsoft Corporation v PC Club Australia Pty Ltd (2005) 148 FCR 310 Milwell Pty Ltd v Olympic Amusements Pty Ltd (1999) 85 FCR 436 Prior v Lansdowne Press Pty Ltd (1975) 12 ALR 685 Robinson v Sands & McDougall Pty Ltd (1916) 22 CLR 124 Sands & McDougall Pty Ltd v Robinson (1917) 23 CLR 49 Sawkins v Hyperion Records Ltd (2005) 64 IPR 627 Telstra Corporation Ltd v Desktop Marketing Systems Pty Ltd (2001) 51 IPR 257 University of London Press Ltd v University Tutorial Press Ltd [1916] 2 Ch 601 Vawdrey Australia Pty Ltd v Krueger Transport Equipment Pty Ltd (2009) 83 IPR 1 Victoria v Pacific Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd (No 2) (2009) 177 FCR 61 Victoria Park Racing and Recreation Grounds Co Ltd v Taylor (1937) 58 CLR 479 Waterlow Publishers v Rose (1989) 17 IPR 493 William Hill (Football) Ltd v Ladbroke (Football) Ltd [1980] RPC 539 Davison, The Legal Protection of Databases, (2003) Laddie, Prescott and Vitoria, The Modern Law of Copyright and Designs,(3rd ed, 2000)