Dem Compagnie P/L & Ors v Telxon Australia P/L [2004] NSWCA 66

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Dem Compagnie P/L & Ors v Telxon Australia P/L [2004] NSWCA 66 HEARING DATE(S) : 12/11/03, 13/11/03 JUDGMENT DATE : 12 March 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Meagher JA at 1; Handley JA at 17; Giles JA at 65 DECISION : Appeal dismissed with costs.

CATCHWORDS : APPEAL - BREACH OF CONTRACT - EXPRESS TERMS - ORAL TERMS - ON-SELLING - CONTRACTUAL EXCLUSIVITY - DAMAGES - LOSS OF PROFITS - TRADE PRACTICES ACT (CTH) S 52 - INTEREST - GUARANTORS' LIABILITY - COSTS - Whether or not, by way of express terms, oral terms, estoppel, equity or other contractual bindings, the appellants had entered into an exclusive on-selling or re-selling arrangement with the opponent/respondent concerning particular opponent's products to a specific third-party purchaser - Held (2:1, per Meagher JA and Giles JA, Handley JA dissenting): Contract found to be incomplete due to inter alia express provisions which set out further (incomplete) requirements - Appeal dismissed with costs. LEGISLATION CITED : The Ophelia [1916] 2 AC 206 Trade Practices Act 1974 Allen v Tobias (1958) 98 CLR 367, 375 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Brogden v Metropolitan Railway Co (1877) 2 App Cas 666, 682, 693 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council (2001) 53 NSWLR 153 CA Hillas & Co Ltd v Arcos Ltd [1923] All ER 494 Cavallari v Premier Refrigeration Co Pty Ltd (1952) 85 CLR 20 Way v Latilla [1937] 3 All ER 759 HL 766 CASES CITED : Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority (1982) 149 CLR 337, 350, 351 First Energy (UK) Ltd v Hungarian International Bank Ltd [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 194 CA Hospital Products Ltd v United States Surgical Corporation (1984) 156 CLR 41, 61 Martin-Baker Aircraft Co Ltd v Canadian Flight Equipment Ltd [1955] 2 QB 556 Shepherd v Felt and Textiles of Australia Ltd (1931) 45 CLR 359 Marks v GIO Australia Holdings Ltd (1998) 196 CLR 494 Collings Construction Co Pty Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (1998) 43 NSWLR 131 Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447 at 457 Dem Compagnie Pty Limited & Eric Georges Dereu & Marylene Dereu PARTIES : v Telxon Australia Pty Limited FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 41148 of 2002 COUNSEL : A: J Simpkins SC R: M D Young SOLICITORS : A: Kalmath & McGhee Lawyers R: Dibbs Barker Gosling