Competitor faces defamation charges over herb grinder

C
OMPETITORFACESDEFAMATIONCHARGESOVERHERBGRINDER

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDJASONMOSCOVICI*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
PRECIS:TheOntarioSuperiorCourtofJusticegranteddamagesandinjunctive
relieftoplaintiffforlibellousstatementsfoundonacompetitor’swebsite.
InthematterofMansonv.Moffett[2008CanLII19789(ONS.C.);2008-05-
01]broughtforwardbytheOntarioSuperiorCourtofJustice,plaintiffsought
damages,aswellasinjunctiverelief,forInternetlibelregardingfalseinformation
foundonawebsiteoperatedbydefendant.
Thefactsareresumedasfollows:Mr.Mansondesignedadeviceforgrindingherbs
andspices.ThegrinderisprotectedbyaU.S.A.patentgrantedinMarch2004,is
soldinOntarioundertheCanadianregisteredtrademarkSWEETLEAFandis
marketedontheInternetviaplaintiff’swebsitewww.sweetleafgrinder.com.
DefendantoperatestwowebsitesinwhichhepromotesGREATLEAFherbandnut
grinders;aproductthatcompeteswiththeplaintiff’sfortheOntarioMarket.
Defendantusesmetatagstomisdirectplaintiff’spotentialcustomerssearchingfor
SWEETLEAF,whileusinganetworksearchengine.Themetatagsleadtoawebsite
operatedbyMr.Moffettwherecertainfalsestatementsappearedwithregardstothe
validityoftheSweetleafpatent,theimminenceofaclassactionsuitandthe
intelligenceofanyoneattemptingtopatentsuchanherbgrinder:
[GreenleafGrindersare]SimilartoSweetleaf™atafractionofthe
Price!…Thisrecentsweetleaf™patentwillsoonbere-
examined.Thesehavebeenaroundforalmost100years,andis
controlledbyanexpired1905:UnitedStatesPatent#00795746,Jul.,
1905.…[If]Mansonhassentyouaceaseanddesistorderforselling
similargrinders,pleasecontactmetojointheimminentclassaction
lawsuit.Nowsomeoneistryingtopatenta“DUGOUT”ROFL(rolling

©CIPS,2008.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrademarkagents.IanaALexovaisanarticling
studentwiththefirm.PublishedintheJuly2008issueofWorldMediaLawReport.Publication
328.048.

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overfromlaughing).Unreal.RockonStupidPeople.Sweetleaf™Is
aregisteredTrademarkOfSweetleaf,Manson,JoelDCANADA20
ClematisRoad,Willowdale,OntarioCANADAM2J4X2.“Greenleaf
Grinders”arenotSweetleaf™Grinder.
Forliabilitytoarise,plaintiffneededtoprovethatthewordscomplainedofi)were
published,ii)refertotheplaintiffandiii)aredefamatoryintheirnaturalmeaning.To
be“published”,thestatementsmustbecommunicatedtoathirdparty:here,the
Courtreasonedthatbydefinition,anythingpropagatedviatheInternetisintendedto
beexposedtoawideaudienceandthereforeis“published”.
Todecideifastatementisdefamatory,theimpugnedwordsshouldbegiventheir
naturalmeaning.Thewrittenstatementswerefalseandcouldonlyhaveone
objectiveinmind:totarnishthenameofSweetleaf,Mansonandsubjecttheplaintiff
toridicule.TheCourtwasalsoinfluencedbythejuxtapositionoftheplaintiff’sname
andthatofhispatenteddevicewithregardstothelanguageusedbythedefendant.
Defendant’smotivationwasalsoinferredthroughane-mailthatwassentbyhim,
addressedtotheplaintiffandhislawyers.Hisstatementsasserted,amongstother
things,thatthedefendantwaslaunchinga$10Mlawsuitagainstthelawfirmanda
$4.2Mlawsuitagainsttheplaintiff;inaddition:
todayIsworeoutafelonyarrestwarrantattheUSAttorney’soffice
againstMr.Mansonfor[…]sellingDrugparaphernaliaand
smuggling[…]Thankyouforprovidingmetheinformationproving
hissweetleafGrindersareinfactforprocessingMarijuana[…]

Defendantsoughtdismissalofplaintiff’saction,allegingthatbothplaintiffandhis
attorneyhavedemonstratedahabitofharassingandcoercingwithwantondisregard
totheconsequencesoftheiractions.Defendantalsoallegedthatplaintiff’sattorneys
encouragedhimtoproceedknowingthathehadnoassetsinOntarioorCanada.
TheCourt,concerninggrantingofinjunctiverelief,raisedthequestionof
appropriatenessinrespectofadefendantnotordinarilyresidinginOntario.The
issuesraisedwereexpresslyaddressedinBarrickGoldCorp.v.Lopehandia[2003
CarswellOnt.6075],whichprovidestherationaleforgrantingsucharemedy.The
courtsofOntariomusthavejurisdictiontorestrainsuchconduct;evenifan
injunctionmayonlybeenforcedifthedefendantenterstheprovincepersonally;the
injuctionwilloperatetopreventdefendantfromcontinuingtopostthedefamatory
messages.
Therefore,inthelightofwhatwaspreviouslyreasoned,plaintiffwasgranted
$20,000.00togetherwithinterestinaccordancewiththeCourtsofJusticeAct.
Plaintiffwasalsograntedaninjunctionenjoiningthedefendantfromengaginginthe
impugnedconductandcostsoftheactionfixedat$16,000.00.

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