A provisional injunction granted to stop unauthorized use of a Cirque du soleil’s photograph

2009-01-01

APROVISIONALINJUNCTIONGRANTEDTOSTOPUNAUTHORIZ
EDUSEOFA
CIRQUEDUSOLEIL’SPHOTOGRAPH

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDCLÉAIAVARONE-TURCOTTE*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

PRECIS:InthematterofCirqueduSoleilinc.v.TransitÉditeurinc.,[2009QCCS
4671],theSuperiorCourtofQuébecgrantedplaintiffCirqueduSoleiltheprovisional
injunctionitwasseekinginordertohavedefendantsTransitÉditeurinc.andAgence
dulivreADL
(ofwhomTransittookuptheinterest)ceasetheirunauthorizeduseofthe
plaintiff’sphotograph.
Thefactsarefairlysimple:defendantTransitÉditeurinc.editedabookabout
internationally-renownedCirqueduSoleilandequallyfamousfounderGuyLaliberté,a
bookwhichdisplayed,onitscover,aphotographofCirque’sgymnastMariaSilaeva.
ThisphotographappearedonCirque’swebsitewhereitwasexplicitlyidentifiedasthe
plaintiff’sproperty,eventhoughitsusewaspermittedunderstipulatedconditions.The
defendant’suseofthispicturedidnotmeettheseconditionsandwastherefore
unauthorized.Consequently,aftersendingthedefendantaformalnoticethat
remainedunanswered,theplaintiffsoughtaprovisionalinjunctioninordertoputan
endtothedefendant’sunlawfuluseofitsphoto.
Despitethedefendant’scontentionsthatithadcontractuallyacquiredtherighttouse
thepicturefromathirdparty,JusticeJournetfoundCirqueduSoleiltobethesole
owneroftheworkatissue.Tocometothisconclusion,thejudgetooknoteof
Transit’sjudicialadmissiontotheeffectthatthepicturefellwithintheplaintiff’s
propertyandhence,wastheobjectofthelatter’scopyrights.Onthismatter,itisworth
mentioningthatpursuanttoCanada’sCopyrightAct,theowneroftheinitial
photographatthetimethesaidphotographwastakenisdeemedtobeitsauthor:
Authorofphotograph
10.(2)Thepersonwho
(a)wastheowneroftheinitialnegativeorotherplateatthetimewhen
thatnegativeorotherplatewasmade,or

©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.CléaIavarone-Turcotteis
anarticlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-11-19issueofWorldMediaLawReport.
Publication328.078.

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(b)wastheowneroftheinitialphotographatthetimewhenthat
photographwasmade,wheretherewasnonegativeorotherplate,
isdeemedtobetheauthorofthephotographand,wherethatowneris
abodycorporate,thebodycorporateisdeemedforthepurposesof
thisActtobeordinarilyresidentinatreatycountryifithasestablished
aplaceofbusinesstherein.”

Thetribunalwentonbystatingthatthebookbearingthephotographwasatthetime
outofstock,anditsreprintingwasthusimminent,creatingariskoffurtherillegaluse
oftheCirque’spicture.Consequently,JusticeJournetexpressedtheviewthatitwas
urgenttoprotecttheplaintiff’srightsbymeansofaprovisionalinjunction.Insupportof
thisfindingwasthefactthatsincethematterwasoneofcopyrights,theplaintiffdid
nothavetoprovetheprejudiceitwouldhavebeensubjectedtohadtheinjunction
beendenied.TheCourtherereliedonthedecisionGestionRadissonDesigninc.v.
StructuremarineAmarcoinc.[2007QCCS243].

ItistobenotedthattheplaintiffwasalsoseekinganorderprovidingthatanOntario
distributorofthebookpublishedbyTransit,althoughnotapartytothecaseatbar,be
neverthelessforcedtogivebackthecopiesinitspossession.Here,JusticeJournet
heldthattheCourthadnojurisdictiontoorderathirdpartytodoorceasetodo
something.Inotherwords,aCourt’sorder,bynature,couldonlyreachtheparties
directlyinvolvedintheproceedings.
TheJudgeconsequentlygrantedtheprovisionalinjunction,orderingthedefendantsto
definitivelyceasetheinfringementoftheCirque’scopyrights.Moreprecisely,the
Courtorderedthedefendantstodestroythepicture’soriginalandimmediatelystop
thereproductionorpublicationofthesaidpicture,aswellasitsdiffusionbyany
means.Theorderfordestructionisquiteharshandunusualsincetheproceedings
wereonlyataprovisionallevelandnotonthemerits.

TheCourtalsoorderedthedefendantstoimmediatelyceasesellingthebookatissue
aswellasrecallthecopiesalreadydistributedtobookshopsandsimilar
establishments.
Furthermore,JusticeJournetorderedthatthedefendantshandoverallcopiesofthe
bookintheirpossessionatthetimethejudgementwasrenderedaswellasafterthe
literarywork’srecallwouldhavetakenplace.Withthislastfinding,theJudgegranted
theplaintiffaremedyspecifictoQuébec’slaw,thatis,theseizurebeforejudgement.
Section734(1)oftheCodeofcivilprocedureprovidesthat
Theplaintiffmayalsoseizebeforejudgment:
1°themovablepropertywhichhehasarighttorevendicate;[…]

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Thisprovisionwasnotmeanttocreatearecourseforcopyrightmattersbut,ingenious
lawyerslinkthisproceduralprovisionwithSection38(1)(b)oftheCopyrightAct,which
readsasfollows:38.(1)Subjecttosubsection(2),theownerofthecopyrightinawork
orothersubject-mattermay(…)
(b)takeproceedingsforseizureofthosecopiesorplatesbefore
judgmentif,underthelawofCanadaoroftheprovinceinwhichthose
proceedingsaretaken,apersonisentitledtotakesuchproceedings,
asifthosecopiesorplateswerethepropertyofthecopyrightowner.
[emphasisadded]

ThiswaytoproceedwasevendiscussedinThébergev.Galeried’ArtduPetit
Champlaininc.,2002SCC34andqualifiedasa“draconianprocedure”andan
“exceptiontotheordinaryrulesoflaw”.
BythedeemingprovisionofSection38oftheCopyrightAct,theownerofaninfringed
copyrightworkisdeemedtheowneroftheinfringingcopyand,assuch,throughthe
mechanismoftheseizurebeforejudgment,canrecoverthepossession,asowner,of
theinfringingcopies.ThisremedycouldevenbeobtainedwithoutaCourtorder.

AprovisionalinjunctionbeingvalidforamaximumoftendayspursuanttoSection753
oftheCodeofCivilProcedure,JusticeJournetalsoissuedanordertosafeguardthe
rightsoftheparties,sothattheprovisionalinjunctionbeinfullforceandeffectuntil
thehearingoftheinterlocutoryinjunction.

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