133-137 Fetter Lane London EC4A 1HD |
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B e f o r e :
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National Guild of Removers & Storers Limited |
Claimant |
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- and - |
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Christopher Silveria (trading as C S Movers) |
Defendant |
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The defendants did not appear and were not represented
Hearing dates: 9/11/10
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Crown Copyright ©
His Honour Judge Birss QC :
i) in PAT 09079 (defendant: Mr Silveria) judgment was given on 9th October 2009;ii) in PAT 09161 (defendant: Mr Cranford) judgment was given on 11th January 2010;
iii) in PAT 09106 (defendant: Mr O'Garro) judgment was given on 22nd January 2010;
iv) in OCL 70016 (defendant: Alliance Removers & Storers Ltd) judgment was given on 22nd February 2010;
Jurisdiction in trade mark and passing off cases
i) amended the Trade Marks Act 1994 so as to extend the definition of the "court" accordingly in s75 of the 1994 Act but provide that appeals from the Registrar remain to the High Court by an amending s76 of the 1994 Act;ii) amended the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991 (new sub-paragraphs 7A and 7B of article 2); and
iii) amended the Patents County Court (Designation and Jurisdiction) Order 1994 in a corresponding fashion.
i) In Bow v Hart [1905] 1 KB 592 the Court of Appeal held that a county court had no jurisdiction to entertain an action for trade mark infringement. This was as a result of a careful analysis of the provisions of the then relevant legislation (the County Courts Act 1888 and the Judicature Act 1873) and also because although an action for fraudulent trade mark infringement was maintainable at common law, an action for infringement which was not fraudulent could only be brought in equity and at that date the county courts had a very limited equitable jurisdiction. In my judgment this has no application today for a number of reasons. As Judge Fysh held in the Minsterstone case, under the 1994 Act infringement of registered trade mark is a statutory tort and an interference with a statutory right of property (see s14(2) of the 1994 Act). It is clear that under s15 of the County Courts Act 1984 the county court has jurisdiction in tort cases. Moreover the amendments to the Trade Marks Act 1994, the High Court and County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1991 and the Patents County Court (Designation and Jurisdiction) Order 1994 would make little sense if the Patents County Court did not have a jurisdiction to hear trade mark infringement cases and I note that one of the other reasons given in Bow v Hart for doubting the county court's jurisdiction was that in the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act 1883, "the Court' meant the High Court in the sections relevant to trade marks. The legislative amendments have dealt with that.ii) Ideal General Supply Co Ltd v Edelson [1957] RPC 252 was a case in which the plaintiff had started an action for passing off and slander in the county court. The county court judge declined jurisdiction on the basis he thought they were equity proceedings and the claimant withdrew the proceedings and started again in the High Court. The question was whether this created an estoppel and Diplock J, holding that it did not, did not comment on the view of the county court judge that he had no jurisdiction. The better view today must be that such a claim is a tort within the scope of s15 of the County Courts Act 1984. I also note that the original Patents County Court Guide published in December 1990 with a Foreword by the then Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay of Clashfern included within the Guide a section on jurisdiction which made the point that the court's ordinary jurisdiction as a county court was unaffected (s287(5) of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988) and mentions passing off expressly as a cause of action which may be brought under the ordinary jurisdiction.
The Inquiries - legal framework
Inquiries – the facts
Claimant v Christopher Silveria t/a C S Movers PAT 09079
"Therefore in a case such as the present, where licences are not granted to anyone who asks for them for a fixed sum, it is a matter which is to be dealt with in the rough – doing the best one can, not attempting or professing to be minutely accurate – having regard to all the circumstances of the case and saying what upon the whole is the fair thing to be done."
Claimant v Anthony Cranford t/a Logistics Removals PAT 09161
Claimant v Simon O'Garro (t/a Movements Removals) PAT 09106
The court fee
Claimant v Alliance Removers & Storers Ltd OCL 70016
Conclusion
Annex A – Table for Claimant v Christopher Silveria t/a C S Movers PAT 09079
Base rate | + 1% | Sum | Total interest | Total Sum | |||
2008 | Jan | 5.50% | 6.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
Feb | 5.25% | 6.25% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
March | 5.25% | 6.25% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
April | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
May | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
June | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
July | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Aug | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Sept | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Oct | 4.50% | 5.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Nov | 3.00% | 4.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Dec | 2.00% | 3.00% | £866.67 | £22.75 | £889.42 | ||
2009 | Jan | 1.50% | 2.50% | £866.67 | £20.58 | £887.25 | |
Feb | 1.00% | 2.00% | £866.67 | £18.78 | £885.45 | ||
March | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £17.33 | £884.00 | ||
April | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £16.25 | £882.92 | ||
May | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £15.17 | £881.84 | ||
June | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £14.08 | £880.75 | ||
July | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £13.00 | £879.67 | ||
Aug | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £11.92 | £878.59 | ||
Sept | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £10.83 | £877.50 | ||
Oct | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £9.75 | £876.42 | ||
Nov | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £8.67 | £875.34 | ||
Dec | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £7.58 | £874.25 | ||
2010 | Jan | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
Feb | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
March | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
April | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
May | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
June | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
£11,266.71 | £186.69 | £11,453.40 | |||||
Added interest (1.5% - i.e. base rate + 1%) | |||||||
Interest Jan 10 - Oct 10 | £11266.71 x 1.5% x 10 months/12 months | £140.83 | |||||
total | £11,594.23 | ||||||
Annex B Table for Claimant v Anthony Cranford t/a Logistics Removals PAT 09161
Base rate | + 1% | Sum | Total interest | Total Sum | ||||
2008 | Jan | 5.50% | 6.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Feb | 5.25% | 6.25% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
March | 5.25% | 6.25% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
April | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
May | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
June | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
July | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
Aug | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
Sept | 5.00% | 6.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
Oct | 4.50% | 5.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
Nov | 3.00% | 4.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
Dec | 2.00% | 3.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
2009 | Jan | 1.50% | 2.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
Feb | 1.00% | 2.00% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
March | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £17.33 | £884.00 | |||
April | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £16.25 | £882.92 | |||
May | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £15.17 | £881.84 | |||
June | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £14.08 | £880.75 | |||
July | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £13.00 | £879.67 | |||
Aug | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £11.92 | £878.59 | |||
Sept | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £10.83 | £877.50 | |||
Oct | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £9.75 | £876.42 | |||
Nov | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £8.67 | £875.34 | |||
Dec | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £7.58 | £874.25 | |||
2010 | Jan | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £6.50 | £873.17 | ||
Feb | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £5.42 | £872.09 | |||
March | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £4.33 | £871.00 | |||
April | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £3.25 | £869.92 | |||
May | 0.50% | 1.50% | £866.67 | £2.17 | £868.84 | |||
June | 0.50% | 1.50% | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
£13,000.05 | £146.25 | £13,146.30 | ||||||
Added interest (1.5% - i.e. base rate + 1%) | ||||||||
Interest Jun 10 - Oct 10 | £13000.05 x 1.5% x 5 months/12 months | £81.25 | ||||||
total | £13,227.55 | |||||||
Annex C Table for Claimant v Simon O'Garro t/a Movements Removals) PAT 09106