Relevant Findings of the Primary Judge
8 Very few of the primary judge's findings of fact were in dispute on appeal. The following is a summary of the factual findings and other materials that are relevant to consideration of this appeal.
9 In 1975 Mr Peter Vogel, who is an electronics engineer, co-founded a company called Fairlight Instruments, which developed the world's first music synthesiser capable of sampling natural or instrumental sounds. It was known as the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument or Fairlight CMI. In 2009 Mr Vogel decided to build a 30th anniversary commemorative version of the Fairlight CMI. Knowing that Fairlight owned the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark, at least in Australia, Mr Vogel thought it would be necessary to obtain a license from Fairlight. He entered discussions with Fairlight and ultimately PVI executed the Agreement on 18 August 2010.
10 The Agreement is set out in full at [29] of the Judgment. However, as it is relatively short, and centrally necessary to understanding the issues in this appeal, we also set it out in full below. It is to be noted that as a result of subsequent name changes to the parties, PVI was then called "Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd" or "FI". The abbreviated reference in the Agreement to Fairlight is "F.au". For ease of explanation, in the version of the Agreement set out below, sub-paragraphs denoted in the original as bullet points have been indicated as (1), (2) and so on.
This Agreement is made on 15th August 2010 between:
Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd (ACN 140 173 397) of 10 Whitney Street, Mona Vale, New South Wales, 2103, Australia ("FI"); and
Fairlight.au Pty Ltd (ACN 104 307 888) of Unit 3/15 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, 2086, Australia ("F.au").
Background
1. FI is a corporation established by Peter Vogel to develop and commercialise electronic musical instruments and related products.
2. F.au is a developer of technology for the audio and film industry.
3. FI wish to produce:
(1) a 30 Year anniversary model of the Fairlight CMI referred to as the "CMI-30A" and
(2) a PC compatible version known as the "Series IV", referred to collectively as the "CMI Products".
4. F.au will provide FI with:
(1) certain hardware and technologies including customised software development for the CMI Products
(2) a license for the use of the name "Fairlight" for the CMI Products during the term of this agreement; and
(3) supply of core components including sound library, on the terms contained in this agreement.
5. FI will raise the required development funds, manufacture, market and distribute the CMI Products internationally. FI warrants that it has sufficient capital to commit to contract F.au to carry out the development contemplated herein.
Operative provisions
Obligations of FI
6. FI will pay F.au a total of $200,000 (plus GST) for:
(1) the development of the Fairlight CMI Software; and
(2) worldwide use of the "Fairlight" name and brand for marketing purposes for the CMI Products developed and/or marketed by FI pursuant to and during the term of this agreement.
(3) Use of Fairlight name and brand cannot be sold or transferred to any other party without written agreement by F.au.
(4) F.au reserves the right to withdraw the right for FI to use the Fairlight name and brand, should the name and brand be used in any way which F.au deem to be damaging to the Fairlight Brand reputation.
7. FI will make the payment to F.au required by clause 6 by way of four payments, each of $50,000 (plus GST) (total of $200,000) against F.au's demonstrated meeting of milestones as agreed between the parties before commencement of the development project.
8. Based around the hardware and software provided to FI by F.au as described herein, FI will package, develop, manufacture and market Fairlight branded musical instruments.
9. FI will package, develop, manufacture and market Fairlight branded musical instruments at its own cost, pay F.AU a one-off fee for development of the software as specified below, and purchase F.au custom components including Crystal Core and SX-x devices.
10. FI will develop the necessary components of the CMI Products including the retro keyboard and CMI box ready to accept the F.au boards and software. FI will also undertake all aspects of the marketing of the CMI Products, including but not limited to:
(1) direct sales;
(2) sales channel management; and
(3) promotional activities.
11. FI will market and sell the CMI Series IV in a "sound-module" form, ie without a keyboard, but as CC-1 and Fairlight CMI software only.
12. FI will assist in the specification and testing process, and in gathering market feedback.
Obligations of F.au
13. F.au agrees to produce a software application emulating the sounds and user interface of the Fairlight CMI running on a PC using a CC-1 card.
14. In addition to hardware and software provided by F.au to FI, F.au will include a licensed version of the Fairlight CMI sound libraries.
15. F.au will supply the following products and technology to FI for the CMI Products:
(1) "Fairlight CMI Software" application;
(2) CC-1 card; and
(3) SX-8 or similar input/output device.
16. A detailed specification for the final CMI-30A product will be produced by the parties prior to commencement of development.
17. F.au agrees to complete the necessary CMI Hardware and Software within four months from order. 'Order' being defined as: signed agreement, signed specification of product, signed list of monthly milestones, signed definition of transferred IP, and receipt of first $50K.
18. F.au reserves the right to extend the 4 month delivery period should FI not make its stage payment in a timely manner.
19. F.au agrees that in the event that it is unable to supply hardware or software as contracted within a commercially reasonable time, or if an administrator or receiver is appointed to F.au, FI is automatically granted an immediate perpetual, royalty-free licence to use anything belonging to or controlled by F.au necessary for FI to complete the development or manufacturing contemplated by this agreement. This is provided that full payment for any work completed up to that point has been provided by FI to F.au.
Intellectual property rights
20. Upon receipt of the final payment-from FI, F.au agrees that the software and its source components developed by F.au pursuant to this agreement will transfer to FI. The exact definition of IP to be transferred will be defined in a separate document.
21. F.au does not own any of the FI business that commercialises the CMI Products and related products and technology.
22. FI will own the Fairlight CMI Software application and all its specific source code including elements of the Crystal Core source code. There are no other IP implications.
Sale of CMI Products
23. By default, a CC-1 card sold for use in a CMI system cannot run Dream II software without additional licensing. Likewise, a CC-1 card sold for use in a Dream II system cannot run CMI software without additional licensing.
24. All licensing will be handled through F.au, with appropriate and timely reporting to FI.
25. F.au will have the opportunity to purchase Fairlight CMI Software licenses to sell with existing and future F.au products at a price to be negotiated in the order of AUD $1,500.00 per license.
26. The Parties agree the following cost of components for the CMI-IV, subject to negotiation and based on exchange rates and discount for product volumes:
(1) Package 1 (CC-1, SX-8) AUD $2,542.00
(2) Package 2 (CC-1, SX-20) AUD $3,977.00
27. FI is licensed to offer CMI-30A customers an upgrade path to full Dream II capability, through purchasing a license from F.au at a price to be negotiated, in line with the prevailing list price.
28. F.au will also be able to market the CMI Products through its distribution channel.
General.
29. This agreement is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.
30. All references to "$" are to Australian dollars.
31. This agreement binds the parties and their successors.
Term
32. After one year from signing, this agreement can be terminated on three months written notice by F.au if FI fails to purchase from F.au products to a minimum value of $50,000 per annum (calculated annually in arrears, commencing from the date of completion of the development contract contemplated herein).
33. This agreement can be terminated by FI by giving three months written notice.
34. Otherwise the agreement is ongoing unless terminated by agreement between the parties.
11 The primary judge found that by virtue of clauses 3, 4 and 6 of the Agreement, PVI was granted a licence to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark worldwide, but only in relation to two products being the "CMI-30A" and the "Series IV".
12 The primary judge found that during the term of the Agreement, PVI had developed the Apps for the iPhone and iPad which were promoted and sold as CMI under the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark. These Apps were found to be products in themselves [40] and to replicate the essential functions of the CMI-30A. At [37] the primary judge found:
I can accept that the App may have had a marketing utility for the CMI Products developed and/or manufactured by PVI pursuant to the Agreement, although there was no evidence of this, but if it did, then it was only incidental to its character as a stand-alone product developed and/or manufactured for sale by PVI. The contemporaneous evidence is overwhelming in this regard.
13 For some 18 months after entering into the Agreement, PVI, through Mr Vogel, sought to obtain Fairlight's consent to vary the Agreement, or to enter into a new agreement, so as to allow PVI to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark in connection with the Apps, in addition to the two specified CMI products. Accordingly, the primary judge inferred that Mr Vogel was well aware of, and accepted, that the licence to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark was confined to the two products and did not extend to the Apps. The primary judge rejected PVI's contention that Fairlight had entered a binding, oral agreement that permitted PVI to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark in relation to the Apps. That finding is not challenged in this appeal.
14 The primary judge identified correspondence relevant to the issues. In a letter dated 22 May 2012, Mr Vogel ventilated his concerns about the performance of the Agreement. Relevant parts of that letter are reproduced at [60] of the Judgment, although for convenience they are also set out below:
This letter is further to our telephone conversation this afternoon in which you asked me to put the issues down in writing.
BREACH OF DEVELOPMENT AND LICENSING AGREEMENT DATED 15 AUGUST 2010 (copy attached)
We have paid the consideration specified in this contract ($200,000) in full.
Fairlight.au is obliged under the contract (specifically Clause 15) to supply Fairlight Instruments with the application software, CC-1 card and SX12 cards.
You confirmed today that you have instructed staff not to supply us any goods until further notice. I presume this extends to software bug fixes as well. By refusing to supply Fairlight Instruments, Fairlight has breached the contract.
There have been other breaches by Fairlight.au, including, amongst other things, failure to deliver software of a merchantable quality and failure to supply documentation of the software.
The contract initially anticipated that the sound engine CMI code would be implemented firmware on the CC1. This has not happened, with the result that polyphony is limited to 96 as opposed to "least 200" as initially promised and performance is compromised in other ways as well. Although we have so far been amenable to accepting this as a variation to the contract, we reserve the right to insist that the original intention be performed.
We also hereby give notice that Fairlight.au has failed to deliver software and hardware in commercially reasonable time and we reserve our right to exercise our rights under clause 19.
USE OF FAIRLIGHT SOUND LIBRARIES IN APPS
You mentioned today your concern about our use of the Fairlight sound libraries in our IOS apps.
First, we would argue that the licensing Agreement extends to use of the sound library, the app being a promotional gimmick for the CMI-30A. In addition, when we brought out the app in March 2011 we wished to remove any uncertainty there may be about the scope of the licence and we put to Fairlight.au a proposed amendment to that contract, as attached.
Our proposal was that for avoidance of doubt, we would pay Fairlight.au a royalty on sales of any intellectual property which Fairlight claims to own.
Unfortunately, in spite of several requests over the next year, we did not receive a reply to that offer.
Under the circumstances, if challenged we would argue that the app falls within the scope of the CMI-30A contract, a view which is reinforced by Fairlight.au's acquiescence for more than a year.
Should we be required to defend our position, we would also challenge that Fairlight.au owns copyright to the sound libraries. Although not relevant to the question of ownership, please note that we did not obtain the sound libraries from Fairlight.au (there being multiple other sources from which these are freely available).
…
DEMAND
We sincerely hope that this dispute can be resolved amicably, but unless you remedy the situation as follows we will have no choice but to enforce our rights:
1. Payment of monies owed, within 7 days,
2. Replacement of 3x CC-1 cards loaned, within 7 days.
3. Supply of 5 x CC-1/SX12 for the usual price, within 7 days.
4. Correction of software bugs as reported to date, work to commence immediately and to be completed progressively over 30 days.
5. Supply of professional standard documentation for software already delivered, existing documentation to be delivered immediately and to be completed progressively over 30 days.
6. A response to the aforementioned request for variation of the licensing agreement to permit use of the Fairlight name for all our musical instruments in return for a royalty, within 7 days.
Unless this matter is resolved expeditiously, we will enforce our rights under the contract and otherwise. As well as seeking a refund of the money paid, we will seek damages for loss of profits due to Fairlight.au's breaches.
15 In response, Fairlight (via its parent company KFT), sent the Termination Letter. Parts of this letter are extracted in the Judgment at [59]. The extract set out below includes some additional material:
…
Your letter and the actions of FI in relation to a number of issues clearly show that FI is in breach of the Agreement as well as having infringed a number of F.Au's intellectual and other property rights.
This allows F.Au to terminate the agreement for that breach. For the sake of clarity, the absence of a term dealing with a breach of FI does not mean that the agreement cannot be terminated.
…
In relation to the iPad/iPhone App., the Agreement provides a licence to use the Fairlight name and brand for the CMI Products. We note that this does not refer to or cover the iPad/iPhone App. That is a breach of the agreement.
The licence is also limited to CMI products. FI has gone well beyond what is permitted. We note that you have used it in your business name and are using it for purposes beyond applying it to products. This is a breach of the Agreement.
The use of the sound libraries is a blatant and flagrant breach of the agreement. Your argument is not only self-serving but without any merit whatsoever. The use of the sound libraries is a breach of not only the agreement but also F.Au's intellectual property rights. The app contains neither hardware nor software of F.Au and cannot therefore be marketed as a Fairlight product.
F.Au reserves its rights to a full accounting of all monies or other benefits derived by FI in relation to the use of the sound libraries.
You have offered a royalty to "remove any uncertainty". Respectfully, this is a disingenuous response to what you clearly appreciate to be a breach of the agreement. The reason we did not respond is because it was not acceptable. That F.Au did not respond to your offer does not mean F.Au acquiesced. It did not.
In this regard, we also note that this application and use of the Fairlight name and brand damages the Fairlight brand and reputation and is otherwise also misleading and deceptive conduct and is a misrepresentation under the Competition and Consumer Act as it suggests an association and endorsement by F.Au which does not exist. It also amounts to passing off. This is a breach of the Agreement.
…
In response to your request for permission to use the Fairlight name in all FI's musical instruments, the answer is no.
Further, other than for product currently provided, by reason of the clear breaches on the part of FI of the Agreement, you are to undertake to immediately cease using the Fairlight name in any way.
For the sake of clarity this means you must not:
(a) Use the Fairlight name or any derivation of it in relation to any products or services provided by FI other than those products already manufactured or to be sold;
(b) Continue to use the Fairlight name or any derivation of it in relation to the business of FI
(c) Continue to use the Fairlight name or any derivation of it in relation to the iPad app
(d) Continue to use the Fairlight name or any derivation of it in the name of FI i.e., you must change the name of Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd
(e) Continue to use the Fairlight name or any derivation of it in or on any printed or other media including web sites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or otherwise
If you fail to provide this undertaking by the close of business [on] 1 June, 2012 action will be taken to prevent FI from doing so without further notice.
F.Au otherwise reserves all of its rights.
…
16 The primary judge found at [73] that provided that there were reasonable grounds for Fairlight's view, Fairlight was entitled by clause 6 of the Agreement to withdraw the licence to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark in the event that it deemed its use by PVI in the Apps to be damaging to the brand. On appeal there was some controversy about the correct characterisation of his Honour's findings and so it is convenient to reproduce the paragraphs central to his reasoning at [71] - [76] (emphasis added):
71. Fairlight submitted that, by the 30 May letter, Fairlight, as a matter of substance, exercised its rights under cl 6 of the Agreement and withdrew the use of the Fairlight mark, on (at least) the basis that Fairlight deemed the use of the Fairlight mark for Apps to be damaging to the Fairlight Brand reputation. According to Fairlight, it mattered not that the use of the Fairlight mark was for a non-contractual purpose. The right to withdraw the license arose if the Fairlight mark was used "in any way". According to Fairlight, it would be perverse if cl 6 allowed the Fairlight mark to be withdrawn for an authorised use but not for an unauthorised one. That must be right.
72. Fairlight further submitted that the substantive effect of Fairlight having validly withdrawn the use of the Fairlight mark from PVI on 30 May 2012 was that the Agreement was terminated. According to Fairlight, that is because, in circumstances where the use of the Fairlight mark had been withdrawn from PVI, the Agreement had no more "work" to do. The argument proceeded along the following lines. All of the obligations set out in the Agreement hinged upon the licence to use the Fairlight mark for Fairlight branded instruments. The Agreement was fundamentally based around Fairlight licensing the use of the Fairlight mark to PVI for the purpose of marketing the CMI Products. Once the licence to use the Fairlight mark was withdrawn, there was no continuing obligation on PVI to purchase Fairlight custom components, principally because PVI would no longer be packaging, developing manufacturing and marketing Fairlight branded musical instruments. When the right to use the Fairlight mark was withdrawn the obligation on PVI to sell Fairlight branded products also evaporated. Without the licence, the Agreement came to an end.
73. Mr Kepper expressed the view in the 30 May 2012 letter that he thought the use of the Fairlight mark for Apps was damaging its brand. Fairlight submitted that whether Mr Kepper was correct or incorrect in that view is of no moment. Fairlight was entitled by cl 6 of the Agreement to withdraw the licence to use the Fairlight mark in the event that it deemed its use by PVI to be damaging its brand. Provided there were reasonable grounds for Fairlight's view, I would not disagree.
74. Fairlight further submitted that the 30 May letter was a contemporaneous business record. That is not in dispute. Fairlight points out that, to the extent it is relevant, that view was also shared by Mr Fibaek, as is evident from his cross-examination, although, for reasons already mentioned, I attach little weight to Mr Fibaek's evidence. It was also the view that was held by Mr Kathriner, a witness called by Fairlight with experience in marketing. Mr Kathriner testified as to the market to which Fairlight wished to project its image and reputation and considered that an app that disseminated that reputation and branding into a different market was damaging to the market perception of Fairlight's target market, namely, audio engineers and businesses engaged in high-end post-production audio.
75. Fairlight also pointed out that, even though Mr Heberden's view is no substitute for Fairlight's right to form its own view, Mr Heberden's expert evidence suggests that there was a proper basis for the view Mr Kepper expressed in the 30 May letter.
76. The Court was invited to find that, on 30 May 2012, Fairlight validly withdrew the use of the Fairlight mark from PVI pursuant to cl 6 of the Agreement and that the Agreement was, as a consequence, terminated. I accept that invitation and make that finding.
17 We consider that the acceptance by the primary judge of the invitation set out in [76] to find that Fairlight validly withdrew the use of the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark, and as a consequence the termination of the Agreement, necessarily carried with it:
(a) acceptance by the primary judge of the propositions put by Fairlight (as summarised by his Honour at [72]) to the effect that once the licence to use the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark was withdrawn, the Agreement came to an end; and
(b) acceptance by the primary judge that there were reasonable grounds for Fairlight's view that the use of the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark for the Apps was damaging its brand, based on the evidence summarised in [74] and [75].
18 In relation to Fairlight's allegations of trade mark infringement, the primary judge found at [93] that given that the Agreement did not extend to the use of the FAIRLIGHT Trade Mark in relation to the Apps, by using the mark for Apps from 22 March 2011, PVI contravened section 120 of the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth). His Honour rejected the submission that Mr Vogel should be personally liable for the infringement on the basis that he was the controlling mind and will of PVI.
19 Having made these findings, the primary judge rejected PVI's allegations that Fairlight had acted in breach of the Agreement, first, for the supply of deficient software, and secondly, for alleged delays in the supply of the required software. The primary judge also rejected PVI's cross-claim arising from its allegation that it was entitled to damages arising from the unlawful termination by Fairlight of the Agreement. The primary judge also rejected PVI's cross-claim for infringement of copyright. We address the copyright findings made by his Honour separately below.