Del Casale & Ors. v. Artedomus (Aust) Pty. Limited [2007] NSWCA 172

Reported Decision: 73 IPR 326

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: Del Casale & Ors. v. Artedomus (Aust) Pty. Limited [2007] NSWCA 172

HEARING DATE(S): 9 February 2007

JUDGMENT DATE: 18 July 2007

JUDGMENT OF: Hodgson JA at 1; McColl JA at 73; Campbell JA at 74

DECISION: Leave to appeal granted. Claimants to bring in Short Minutes of Orders giving effect to reasons for judgment

CATCHWORDS: CONTRACT - EMPLOYMENT - EQUITY - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - Confidential information - Restraint of trade - Obligations of employee as to confidential information after termination of employment - Whether subject to implied term in contract - Whether dependent on equitable rules concerning confidentiality - Categories of confidential information - Trade secrets - General know-how of employees - Effect of explicit contractual restraint - Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s.183 - Moulding of remedies - Whether permanent injunction excessive.

LEGISLATION CITED: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s.183

Amber Size & Chemical Co. Limited v. Menzel [1913] 2 Ch. 239 Artedomus (Aust) Pty Ltd v Del Casale & Ors (2006) 68 IPR 577 Balston Limited v. Headline Filters Limited [1987] FSR 330 Beach Petroleum v. Kennedy [1999] 48 NSWLR 1 Blyth Chemicals Ltd v Bushnell (1933) 49 CLR 66 Boucaut Bay Co Ltd v The Commonwealth (1927) 40 CLR 98 BP Refinery (Westernport) Pty Ltd v Shire of Hastings (1977) 180 CLR 266 Bridge v Campbell Discount Co Ltd [1962] AC 600 Butt v. Long (1953) 88 CLR 476 Byrne v Australian Airlines Ltd (1995) 185 CLR 410 Cactus Imaging Pty Limited v Glenn Peters [2006] NSWSC 717 Cash Orders (Amalgamated) Ltd v Haynes (1937) 37 SR (NSW) 157 Cassis v. Kalfus (No.2) [2004] NSWCA 315 Coco v. A.N. Clark (Engineers) Limited [1969] RPC 41 Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority (NSW) (1982) 149 CLR 337 Corrs Pavey Whiting & Byrne v. Collector of Customs (Vic) (1987) 14 FCR 434 Cream v. Bushcolt Pty. Limited (2004) ATPR 42-004, [2004] WASCA 82 Deta Nominees Pty Ltd v Viscount Plastic Products Pty Ltd [1979] VR 167 E. Worsley & Co. Limited v. Cooper [1939] 1 AllER 290 Faccenda Chicken Limited v. Fowler [1987] Ch. 117 Guildford Motor Company Limited v. Horne [1933] 1 Ch. 935 H & R Block Limited v. Sanott [1976] 1 NZLR 213 Half Court Tennis Pty Ltd v Seymour (1980) 53 FLR 240 Haynes v Doman [1899] 2 Ch 13 Herbert Morris Limited v. Saxelby [1915] 2 Ch. 57 Heyman v Darwins Ltd [1942] AC 356 ICT Pty. Limited v. Sea Containers Limited (1995) 39 NSWLR 640 In Re Irish, Irish v Irish (1888) 40 Ch D 49 Industrial Rollformers Pty. Limited v. Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Limited (2001) Aust. Contract R 90-129, [2001] NSWCA 111 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Birt [2006] NSWSC 995 Kirchner v Gruban [1909] 1 Ch 413 CASES CITED: Lamb v Evans [1893] 1 Ch 218 Lansing Linde Ltd v Kerr [1991] 1 All ER 418 Lister v Romford Ice & Cold Storage Co Ltd [1957] AC 555 Liverpool City Council v Irwin [1977] AC 239 McDonald v Dennys Lascelles Ltd (1933) 48 CLR 457 Moorgate Tobacco Co Ltd v Philip Morris Ltd (No 2) (1984) 156 CLR 414 Morison v Moat (1851) 9 Hare 241; 68 ER 492 National Education Advancement Programs (NEAP) Pty Ltd v Ashton (1995) 128 FLR 334 National Engineering Limited v. Chilco Enterprises Pty. Limited [2001] NSWCA 291 Nocton v. Lord Ashburton [1914] AC 932 Nordenfelt v Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co [1894] AC 535 NP Generations Pty Ltd v Feneley (2001) 80 SASR 151 O'Brien v Komesaroff (1982) 150 CLR 310 Ormonoid Roofing and Asphalts Ltd v Bitumenoids Ltd (1930) 31 SR (NSW) 347 Photo Production Ltd v Securicor Transport Ltd [1980] AC 827 Printers & Finishers Ltd v Holloway [1964] 3 All ER 731; [1965] RPC 239 Reid & Sigrist Ltd v Moss and Mechanism Ltd (1932) 49 RPC 461 Riteway Express Pty Ltd v Clayton (1987) 10 NSWLR 238 Robb v Green [1895] 2 QB 1 Robb v. Green [1895] 2 QB 315 Saltman Engineering Co Ltd v Campbell Engineering Co Ltd [1963] 3 All ER 413 Scheckter v. Kolbe [1955] 3 SAf LR 109 Sir W C Leng & Co v Andrews [1909] 1 Ch 763 Smith Kline & French Laboratories (Australia) Limited v. Secretary, Department of Community Services & Health (1990) 22 FCR 73 Smith v. Hancock [1894] 2 Ch 377 at 385 T.W. Cronin Shoe Pty. Limited v. Cronin [1929] VLR 227 The Commonwealth v John Fairfax and Sons Ltd (1980) 147 CLR 39 Thomas Marshall (Exports) Ltd v Guinle [1979] 1 Ch 227 Tuck & Sons v Priester (1887) 19 QBD 629 United Indigo Chemical Co. Limited v. Robinson (1939) 49 RPC 178 Weldon & Co Services Pty Ltd v Harbinson [2000] NSWSC 272 Wright v. Gasweld Pty. Limited (1991) 22 NSWLR 317