National Roads and Motorists' Association Limited v Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union

• Jurisdiction: Australia Federal only
• Judge: GRIFFITHS J
• Judgment Date: 11 September 2019
• Neutral Citation: [2019] FCA 1491
• Court: Federal Court
• Date: 11 September 2019

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

National Roads and Motorists’ Association Limited v Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union [2019] FCA 1491

File number:	NSD 1065 of 2019
Judge:	GRIFFITHS J
Date of judgment:	11 September 2019
Catchwords:	TRADE MARKS – infringement proceeding under ss 120(1) and (3) of the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) – where a trade union is using a sign depicting the applicant’s brand or logo as part of an industrial campaign against the employer – where the employer is a wholly owned subsidiary of the applicant – whether the union’s sign is being used as a trade mark – no use of the sign as a trade mark ; CONSUMER LAW – claims of misleading or deceptive conduct arising from representations made during the course of an industrial campaign – whether impugned conduct is “in trade or commerce” – principles derived from Concrete Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd v Nelson (1990) 169 CLR 594 considered – conduct not “in trade or commerce” ; TORTS – claims of injurious falsehood arising from statements and representations made during an industrial campaign – malice – necessity to establish actual damage – no malice or actual damage
Legislation:	Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) ss 4, 6, Sch 2 ss 2, 18 and 29 Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) ss 345 and 349 Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (Cth) Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 78B Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) ss 10, 17, 120 and 185 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) ss 4 and 52 Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW) Fair Trading Act 1999 (Vic) s 9 ; First Council Directive 89/104/EEC art 5 European Parliament and Council Directive 2015/2436 art 10 Trade Mark Act of 1946 s 43, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(c)(1)(2012) ; Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. Opened for signature 15 April 1994. 1867 UNTS 3 (entered into force 1 January 1995). Annex 1C (‘Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights’) art 16 Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. Opened for signature 20 March 1883 (entered into force 7 July 1884) art 6bis
Cases cited:	Accor Australia & New Zealand Hospitality Pty Ltd v Liv Pty Ltd [2017] FCAFC 56; 345 ALR 205 AMI Australia Holdings Pty Ltd v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 1395; [2011] Aust Torts Reports 82-077 Anchorage Capital Partners Pty Ltd v ACPA Pty Ltd [2018] FCAFC 6; 259 FCR 514 APLA Limited v Legal Services Commissioner of New South Wales [2005] HCA 44; 224 CLR 322 Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd v Global Gaming Supplies Pty Ltd [2016] FCAFC 22; 329 ALR 522 Astra Recourses Plc v Full Exposure Pty Ltd [2012] FCA 1061 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Accounts Control Management Services Pty Ltd [2012] FCA 1164 Australian Woollen Mills Ltd v F. S. Walton and Company Ltd (1937) 58 CLR 641 Beecham Group plc v Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd [2004] FCA 1335; 64 IPR 45 Beecham Group Plc v Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd [2005] FCA 838; 66 IPR 254 C A Henschke & Co v Rosemount Estates Pty Ltd [2000] FCA 1539; 52 IPR 42 Cantarella Bros Pty Ltd v Modena Trading Pty Ltd [2013] FCA 8; 299 ALR 752 Carnival Cruise Lines Inc v Sitmar Cruises (1994) 120 ALR 495 Clubb v Edwards [2019] HCA 11; 366 ALR 1 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Kojic [2016] FCAFC 186; 249 FCR 421 Concrete Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd v Nelson (1990) 169 CLR 594 Fasold v Roberts (1997) 70 FCR 489 Firewatch Australia Pty Ltd v Country Fire Authority [1999] FCA 761; 93 FCR 520 Giraffe World Australia Pty Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission [1998] FCA 1560; (1999) ATPR 41-669 Google Inc v Australian Competition and Consumer Commissioner [2013] HCA 1; 249 CLR 435 Haines v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1995) 43 NSWLR 404 Houghton v Arms [2006] HCA 59; 225 CLR 553 Johnson & Johnson Aust Pty Ltd v Sterling Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd (1991) 30 FCR 326 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Knight v Victoria [2017] HCA 29; 261 CLR 306 Madden v Seafolly Pty Ltd [2014] FCAFC 30; 313 ALR 1 Marc A Hammond Pty Ltd v Papa Carmine Pty Ltd [1976] 2 NSWLR 124 McCloy v New South Wales [2015] HCA 34; 257 CLR 178 Meadow Gem Pty Ltd v ANZ Executors & Trustee Co Ltd (1994) ATPR (Digest) 46-130 MID Sydney Pty Ltd v Australian Tourism Co Ltd (1998) 90 FCR 236 Neville Mahon v Mach 1 Financial Services Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 651; 96 IPR 547 Orion Pet Products Pty Ltd v Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Vic) Inc [2002] FCA 860; 120 FCR 191 Palmer Bruyn & Parker Pty Ltd v Parsons [2001] HCA 69; 208 CLR 388 Parkdale Custom Built Furniture Pty Ltd v Puxu Pty Ltd [1982] HCA 44; 149 CLR 191 Pham Global Pty Ltd v Insight Clinical Imaging Pty Ltd [2017] FCAFC 83; 251 FCR 379 Plimer v Roberts (1997) 80 FCR 303 Proctor & Gamble Australia Pty Limited v Energizer Pty Limited [2011] FCA 1347 Ratcliffe v Evans [1892] 2 QB 524 Re application by Pfizer Products Inc [2004] ATMO 25; 61 IPR 165 Registrar of Trade Marks v Woolworths Limited [1999] FCA 1020; 93 FCR 365 Roberts v Bass [2002] HCA 57; 212 CLR 1 San Remo Macaroni Co Pty Ltd v San Remo Gourmet Coffee Pty Ltd [2000] FCA 1842; 50 IPR 321 Seafolly Pty Ltd v Madden [2012] FCA 1346; 297 ALR 337 TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd v Ilvariy Pty Ltd [2008] NSWCA 9; 71 NSWLR 523 The Hershey Company v Friends Of Steve Hershey 33 F. Supp. 3d 588 (D. Md. 2014) The Shell Company of Australia Pty Ltd v Esso Standard Oil (Australia) Ltd [1963] HCA 66; 109 CLR 407 Tobacco Institute of Australia Ltd v Woodward (1993) 32 NSWLR 559 Unilan Holdings Pty Ltd v Kerin [1992] FCA 211; 35 FCR 272 Universal Film Manufacturing Co (Australasia) Ltd v New South Wales (1927) 40 CLR 333 V Secret Catalogue, Inc v Moseley 605 F. 3d 382 (6th Cir. 2010) Village Building Co Ltd v Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd [2004] FCA 133; 134 FCR 422 Vivo International Corporation Pty Ltd v Tivo Inc [2012] FCAFC 159; 294 ALR 661 Westpac Banking Corporation v Wittenberg [2016] FCAFC 33; 242 FCR 505 Wingate Marketing Pty Ltd v Levi Strauss & Co (1994) 49 FCR 89 Woolworths Ltd v BP plc (No 2) [2006] FCAFC 132; 154 FCR 97 Wotton v State of Queensland [2012] HCA 2; 246 CLR 1 ; Frank Schechter, “The Rational Basis of Trade Mark Protection” (1927) 40 Harvard Law Review 813 Mark Davidson and Ian Horak, Shanahan’s Australian Law of Trade Marks and Passing Off, 6th ed, 2016 [85.800], [85.795] Maurice Gonsalves and Patrick Flynn, “Dilution Down Under: The Protection of Well-Known Trade Marks in Australia” [2006] European Intellectual Property Review 174 Michael Handler, “Trade...