BONNETERIE CEVENOLE AND ANOTHER v. FRANCE MENGTEJIAO (DEVELOPMENT) LTD
Where companies are incorporated in Hong Kong with names similar to plaintiffs for the purpose of passing off or infringing trade marks and there is no defence because controllers have absented themselves, the court will treat the pattern as that of 'shadow companies' and may grant appropriate relief consistent with...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- BONNETERIE CEVENOLE AND ANOTHER v. FRANCE MENGTEJIAO (DEVELOPMENT) LTD
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Unnamed plaintiffs; Defendant: Various defendants
- Court
- Court of First Instance
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong
- Judgment Date
- 25 February 2014
- Case Number
- HCA1103/2012
- Procedural Posture
- Civil Passing Off and Trade Mark Infringement / Pre Trial / Commencement / Default Proceedings
- Outcome
- No final order recorded in the provided excerpt; excerpt contains factual findings and legal characterisation of 'shadow companies'.
- Legal Topics
- Passing Off, Trade Mark Infringement, Shadow Companies, Service of Proceedings, Jurisdiction
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Unnamed plaintiffs
Plaintiff
Various defendants
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Civil Passing Off and Trade Mark Infringement / Pre Trial / Commencement / Default Proceedings
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether incorporation of companies in Hong Kong with names similar to plaintiffs amounts to passing off or trade mark infringement
- 2 Whether such companies constitute 'shadow companies' and justify equitable relief
- 3 Whether proceedings can proceed where controllers have left the jurisdiction and no one defends
Ratio Decidendi
Where companies are incorporated in Hong Kong with names similar to plaintiffs for the purpose of passing off or infringing trade marks and there is no defence because controllers have absented themselves, the court will treat the pattern as that of 'shadow companies' and may grant appropriate relief consistent with the approach in Power Dekor.
Court Disposition
No final order recorded in the provided excerpt; excerpt contains factual findings and legal characterisation of 'shadow companies'.
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
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