Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Norman Hamilton Co. Ltd v Porshe Cycle Co. Pty Ltd and Bill Long Promotions Pty Ltd (t/a) Progress Cycle Co

Case [1977] FCA 4


I N THE FEDERAL COURT

1

OF AUSTRALIA

1

1

VG No.

3 2 of 1 9 7 7

GENERAL DIVISION

VICTORIA REGXSTZ

B E T W E E N :

DR.

I N G . h . c. F .

PORSCHE

AKTIE:?!C-TSCLL,~C’i.^\I’T

and

NORMAN HAMlLTOIi A N 3 C O .

PTY.

LTD.

P l a i n t i f i s

PORSHE

CYCLE

C O .

PTY.

LTD.

and

BILL LONG PROMOTIONS PTY.

LTD.

mrad ing

as

p r o g r e s s

C y c l e

C o m p a n y )

D2fendJnts

MINUTES

--

OF ORDER

UPON

t h e

P l a L n t J f i s ’ Chamber

S u m r o n s h e r e i n

d a t e d ’Lhe

28th

A p r i l

1 9 7 7 h a v h g been

re fer red

i n t o o?en

Court

BY CONSENT

_-_-

CI~2ZP. as

fol lows:

- 2 -

(1)

T h a t

t h e P l a i n t i f f s h a v e

l e a v e

t o

amend

t h e

S ta t emen t o f

C l a i m

i n d o r s e d o n t h e

Writ

h e r e i n

i n t h e

manner

s e t o u t k t h e P l a i n t i f f s '

Notice

of

Amendments

t o S t a t e m e n t o f

C l a i m

d a t e d t h e 6 t h

May

1 9 7 7 .

(2)

That

t h e P l a i n t i f f s '

Chamber Summons h e r e i n

d a t e d t h e 2 8 t h A p r i l

1 9 7 7

be

amended

i n

t h e

manner

se t

o u t i n t h e P l a i n t i f f s ' N o t i c e

of

Amendment

t o Chamber

Summons

d a t e d t h e 6 t h

May

1 9 7 7 .

( 3 )

That

the

Defendants

and

each

of

them

by

themselves

t h e i r d i r e c t o r s o f f i c e r s s e r v a n t s

o r

a g e n t s

or

otherwise howsoever be res t ra ined

and an in junc t ion

i s

h e r e b y g r a n t e d r e s t r a i n i n g

them and each of

them in connect

ion with

the

supply

or

p o s s i b l e s u p p l y o f b i c y c l e s

or

i n

connec t ion wi th

the

promot

ion

of

the

supply

or

u s e o f b i c y c l e s

-

(a)

from

r e p r e s e n t i n g

t h a t

a n y

b i c y c l e s

have the sponsor sh ip

or

approva l o f

t h e

P l a i n t i f f s

or

e i the r o f

t hem; and

(b)

f r o m

r e p r e s e n t i n g

t h a t

t h e

D e f e n d a n t s

o r e i t h e r o f

them have the sponsorship

o r approva l o f

or are i n any way

a f f i l i a t e d w i t h t h e P l a i n t i f f s

or

e i t h e r of

them.

(4) That

the

Defendants

and

each

of

them

by

themselves,

t h e i ? d i r e c t o r s , o f f i c e r s , s e r v a n t s

or

a g e n t s

or

o the rwise howsoeve r be r e s t r a ined and an

injur&ior!

i s

h e r e b y g r a n t e d r e s t r a i n i n g t h e m

and

each

of

them

from

manufacturing,

importing,

a d v e r t i s h e for

sale,

o f f e r i n g for sale or

s e l l i n g

b i c y c l e s n o t o f t h e f i r s t n a m e d P l a i n t i f f ' s

manufac ture under or

by

r e f e r e n c e t o

- 3 -

(a )

t h e name

PORSIlE

o r PORSCHE

o r a n y o t h e r

word or words uecept ively

or mis lead ing ly

similar

t h e r e t o ;

(b)

t h e PORSCIIE emblem

( b e i n g

t h e

emblem

which

i s E x h i b i t

ADMII-7

t o t h e A f f i d a v i t

of Alan Douglas

McKinnon Hamilton

sworn

t h e 7 t h A p r i l

1 9 7 7

a n d f i l e d h e r e i n )

or

any o the r

emblem

d e c e p t i v e l y

or

mis lead ing ly

similar

t h e r e t o ;

( c )

t h e name PORSHE o r PORSCHE o r any

o the r

name

d e c e p t i v e l y

or

mis lead ing ly

similar

t h e r e t o w r i t t e n i n a n e l o n g a t e d l e t t e r i n g

s t y l e ;

or

(d)

t h e

c o l o u r

c o m b i n a t i o n

r e d ,

b l a c k

a n d

gold used in connec t ion wi th any

of

t h e matters mentioned

in

sub-paragraphs

( a ) ,

(b)

or

(c ) h e r e o f .

( 5 )

That the

Defendants

and

each

of

them

by

themselves

t h e i r d i r e c t o r s , o f f i c e r s , s e r v a n t s

or

a g e n t s

0

or

otherwise howsoever be res t ra ined and an

i n j u n c t i o n

i s

h e r e b y g r a n t e d r e s t r a i n i n g t h e m

and each o f t hem f rom rep resen t ing tha t any

b i c y c l e s

or other goods

made

impor ted so ld

or

d e a l t i n by

them

or e i t h e r of them are connected

with or have the sponsorsh ip or approval of the

P l a i n t i f f s

OP

e i t h e r o f t h e m .

( 6 )

That

the

Defendznts

and

each

o f

them

by

themselves

t h e i r d i r e c t o r s , o f f i c e r s ,

scrvca..r,ts or

a g e n t s

o r

o therx ise howsoever be res t ra ined and

an

i n j u n c t i o n

i s

h e r e b y g r a n t e d r e s t r a i n i n g

them

and

each

of

them

from c a r r y i n g on bus iness under

OF

by

r e f e r e n c e t o a n y

name

i n c l u d i n g t h e

word

F o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h e f o r e g o i n g i n ~ u n c t i o n s

g r a n t e d by

paragraphs

3

t o 6

hereof ,

any

lay-by

1

s a l e a l r e a d y

made

by

t h e d e f e n d a n t s

or

e i t h e r of

them is deemed

t o be

a

s a l e made

p r i o r t o t h e d a t e

h e r e o f i f t h e b i c y c l e s u b ~ e c t t h e r e o f

i s

not here-

af ter

d i s p l a y e d

t o

t h e p u b l i c .

l

1

!

- 4 -

"PORSHE"

o r "PORSCHE"

o r any o the r

word

or words decept ive ly

or mis lead ing ly similar

t h e r e t o , a n d f r o m r e p r e s e n t i n g t h a t a n y

b u s i n e s s or

bus inesses of them

or e i t h e r of

them

i s or

are

connected or

a f i i l i a t e d w i t h

or

sponsored

or

a p p r o v e d b y t h e P l a i n t i f f s

or

e i t h e r o f

them.

(7)

Prov ided

however

t ha t

t he

fo rego ing

i n junc t ions

granted

by

paragraphs

( 3 )

( 4 )

( 5 )

and

( 6 )

hereo f

f-'

s h a l l n o t p r e v e n t t h e

sale

by

t h e D e f e n d m t s

or

e i t h e r o f

them

on

or

b e f o r e t h e 1 1 t h J u l y

1 9 7 7

of

b icyc les which

a t

t h e d a t e h e r e o f

are

i n t h e

posses s ion

or

custody of

the Defendants

or e i t h e r

of

them and bear

the

name PORSHE

(whether i n t h e

s a i d e l o n g a t e d l e t t e r i n g s t y l e o r o t h e r w i s e ) a n d / o r

t h e s a i d

emblem

e i t h e r i n c o n i c h a t i o n w i t h

or

wi thou t

t he co lou r combina t ion r ed , b l ack and go ld ,

s u b j e c t t o a n d o n l y

upon

t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s

-

(a)

That t h e

D e f e n d a n t s

s h a l l

n o t

a d v e r t i s e

or offer for sale or promote

the sale of

a y

b i y c l e s i n a n z m e d i a or documents --e

r

~

-

j

.

~

~

~

~

n+ 2 6 - * .4 '7 "wI4

-7

&A,-,

"Lt -4

( i n c l u d i n g b u t w i t h o u t l i m i t i n g t h e g e n e r a l i t y of t h e f o r e g o i n g , t e l e v i s i o n , r a d i o , n e w s p a p e r s

a n d j o u r n a l s

or

by any advert isements

on

c l o t h i n g

or

o the r goods

or

by any

d i s p l a y

o u t s i d e t h e p r e m i s e s o f t h e D e f e n d a n t s

or

e i t h e r of

them) under

or

b y r e f e r e n c e t o

t h e name PORSHE o r PORSCHC or any word

or

words decept ive ly

or

mis lead ing ly

similar

t h e r e t o ;

- 5 -

( b )

That

each

sale or d i s p o s i t i o n

b y

the

Defendants

or

e i t h e r o f

them of any

such

b i c y c l e o n

or

b e f o r e

the

l l t h J u l y

1 9 7 7

t o a

r e t a i l e r

o r

any pe r son o the r

t han a consumer under

or by reference t o

t h e name PORSHE s h a l l b e made o n l y upon t h e f o l l o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s a n d r e s t r i c t i o n s : -

(i)

T h a t

s u c h

b i c y c l e s

s h a l l

n o t

b

e

a d v e r t i s e d

or o f f e r e d for sale i n anv media

or docunentc.

'h<k&y.&!L&

,.&.4udC

*u., '<c,<LI-L.L'll+,

-

LG<- ~ci^*---

A ( 1 n c l u d i n g b u t w i t h o u t l i m i t i n g t h e

g e n e r a l i t y o f t h e f o r e g o i n g , t e l e v i s i o n ,

rad

io

,

newspapers

and

journa ls

o r by

any

adve r t i s emen t s

on

c l o t h i n g o r o t h e r

foods

o r

b y a n y d i s p l a y o u t s i d c t h e p r e m i s e s a g

the-pPemi-

where

t h e b i c y c l e s

a re

o f i e r e d

for

s a l e )

unde-

o r by

r e f e l - e n c e t o t h e

name PORSHE o r PORSCHE o r any word

or

words decept ive ly

o r mis l ead ing ly

similar

t h e r e t o ;

(ii) Tha t such b i cyc le s

are

s o l d t o s u c h

re ta i lers

o r o t h e r p e r s o n s

on

t h e

terms

that

t h e y may

o n l y b e r e s o l d

or

d isposed

of

on

or

b e f o r e t h e l l t h J u l y

1 9 7 7

and

i f

n o t

r e s o l d or disposed of by t h a t d a t e t o a consumer must be re turned to the Defendants .

Cc)

That t h e

D e f e n d a n t s

s h a l l

remove

from

a l l svch

b i c y c l e s

i n

the possess ion cus tody or cont ro l

of

them or e i t h e r o f

them on

the l l t h J u l y

1 9 7 7

cr r e t u r n e d t o

them

o r e i t h e s o f

them

a f t e r

t h a t d a t e

the name PORSXF, 5r.d tf;e s a i d cmblen?

wherever

a p p e a r i n g a n d s h a l l n o t

s e l l

o r

o therwise

d e a l

i n o r w i t h t h e s a i d b i c y c l e s

until

such

removal has been ef fec ted .

- 6 -

( 8 )

P r o v i d e d

f u r t h e r

t h a t

i f

t he

Ce fendan t s

o r

e i t h e r o f

them do not observe the foregoing

c o n d i t i o n s

set

o u t

i n

s u b - p a r a g r a p h

( 7 )

he reo f

t h e P l a i n t i f f s

or

e i t h e r o f t h e m s h a l l b e

a t

l i b e r t y t o l e n o r c e e a c h o f t h e s a i d i n j u n c t i o n s .

w y

-

(9)

T h a t

t h e

s a i d

p r o v i s i o n s

c o n t a i n e d

i n

s u b - p a r a g r a p h

(7)

s h a l l c e a s e a n d d e t e r m i n e

on

t h e

12th

J u l y

1 9 7 7

a n d

t h e s a i d

i n j u n c t i o n s c c n t a i n e d

i n p a r a g r . 3 p h s

( 3 ) t o (6) s h a l l

t h e r e a f t e r

be

en fo rceab le

acco rd ing

t o t h e i r t e n o r .

(10)

T h a t t h e c o s t s o f t h e P l a i n t i f f s

of

a n d i n c i d e n t a l

t o

t h i s a c t i o n i r d u d i n g t h e

Chambcr

Summons

h e r e i n

s h a l l b e t a x e d a n d

when

so

t a x e d p a i d

by

the

f i r s t n a m e d D e f e n d a n t

t o

t h e

P l a i n t i f f s

and

such

c o s t s s h a l l b e t a x e d

on

t h e b s s i s

tha t

t h e

nature

of

t h e c a s e j u s t i f i e d t h e

employment

by

t h e

P l a i n t i f f s o f

two

Counse l

inc luding one of

Her

Majesty’s

Counsel

.

(11) T h a t

t h i s a c t i o n b e o t h e r w i s e d i s m i s s e d .

*

Details
AGLC
Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Norman Hamilton Co. Ltd v Porshe Cycle Co. Pty Ltd and Bill Long Promotions Pty Ltd (t/a) Progress Cycle Co [1977] FCA 4
Case
[1977] FCA 4
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case involves a legal dispute between Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft Norman Hamilton Co. Ltd, referred to as the plaintiffs, and Porshe Cycle Co. Pty Ltd and Bill Long Promotions Pty Ltd trading as Progress Cycle Co, referred to as the defendants. The plaintiffs are seeking relief on the grounds of trademark infringement and passing off, specifically related to the use of the name and emblem associated with the plaintiffs' bicycles.

The primary legal issues the court had to address were whether the defendants had infringed upon the plaintiffs' trademarks and whether they had passed off their bicycles as those of the plaintiffs. The court also had to determine the appropriate remedies, including injunctive relief and costs.

In its reasoning, the court found that the defendants had indeed infringed upon the plaintiffs' trademarks and passed off their bicycles as those of the plaintiffs. The court granted an injunction restraining the defendants from using the infringing trademarks and emblems, and from representing that their bicycles had the plaintiffs' sponsorship or approval. The injunction was made subject to certain conditions, allowing the defendants to sell existing stock under specific terms before a cutoff date. The court also ordered that the costs of the action be paid by the defendants.

The final orders of the court included granting the plaintiffs leave to amend their statement of claim, providing specific details on the injunctive relief, and determining the costs to be borne by the defendants. The injunctions were set to become enforceable after a certain period, and the action was otherwise dismissed.

Orders

Orders of the court

Full text does not contain this section.

Background

Background to the litigation

Full text does not contain this section.

Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

Full text does not contain this section.

Decision

Reasons for decision

Full text does not contain this section.

Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

Full text does not contain this section.