Exxon Corp v Exxon Insurance Consultants International Ltd

Exxon Corp. v. Exxon Insurance Consultants International Ltd
Court	Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
Decided	12 June 1981
Citations	[1982] Ch. 119 [1981] 3 All E.R. 241 [1982] R.P.C. 69 (1981) 125 S.J. 527 Times, June 13, 1981
Cases cited	DP Anderson & Co Ltd v Lieber Code Co, [1917] 2 K.B. 469 (KBD) Hollinrake v Truswell, [1894] 3 Ch. 420 (CA)
Legislation cited	Companies Act 1948 s.18 Companies Act 1948 s.18(1) Copyright Act 1956 s.1 Copyright Act 1956 s.2 Copyright Act 1956 s.2(1) Copyright Act 1956 s.6 Copyright Act 1956 s.17 Copyright Act 1956 s.48 Copyright Act 1911 s.1 Copyright Act 1911 s.1(1) Copyright Act 1911 s.35 Copyright Act 1842 Trade Marks Act 1938 s.9 Trade Marks Act 1938 s.9(1)(c) Trade Marks Act 1919 Rules of the Supreme Court Ord.19 Rules Supreme Court Ord.19 r.7 Rules of the Supreme Court r.7
Case history
Prior actions	Exxon Corp v Exxon Insurance Consultants International Ltd, [1981] 1 W.L.R. 624 [1981] 2 All E.R. 495 [1981] F.S.R. 238 (1981) 125 S.J. 342 (Ch D)
Subsequent action	None
Court membership
Judges sitting	Stephenson, L.J. Sir David Cairns, L.J. Oliver, L.J.
Keywords
Literary works, Trade names

Exxon Corp. v. Exxon Insurance Consultants International Ltd [1982] Ch. 119 is a leading decision in English law on the existence of copyright in a name alone and the infringement of a trade mark. The Court found that typically there is no copyright in a name, invented or otherwise, and that a trade mark can only be infringed when there the infringing party shares part of the market segment.

Trade mark

With regard to the trade mark, the Court found that the use of this word by the defendants, who work in a field that in no way shares a market segment with the plaintiff, in no way dilutes the plaintiff's brand name nor infringes on its trade mark.