LFP - Large-Format-Printing
Canadian Superior Court Grants Vista Systems Injunction against Former Distributor
Tuesday 15. January 2008 - Techsign Advanced Sign Systems Ltd. the manufacturer of Vista System signage products and a pioneer and world leader in Modular Curved Frame Technology (MCFT) with US based operations in Sarasota, Florida, was recently granted a permanent injunction by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, against its former distributor The Gryph Group and its operator, Stan Gilas.
Vista System filed a lawsuit last March against its former Canadian distributor, The Gryph Group, who it believed had copied its system and had manufactured almost exact replicas of its extrusions and end caps and passed them off as original Vista System brand products. The defendant was also believed to have been using original Vista System printed literature, proprietary software, and images to support the passing off of its products as Vista system products.
Earlier this year, The Gryph Group had agreed to settle the lawsuit and not violate Vista’s intellectual property rights. As a result, the distributor agreed to cease to use any of Vista Systems marketing materials and brand names and not to sell any of Vistas designs whatsoever after September 29, 2007.
Nonetheless, The Gryph Group and Stan Gilas violated this settlement agreement. In response, Vista sought an injunction that was granted by Order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on November 27, 2007.
According to the injunction, The Gryph Group and Stan Gilas must comply with all terms of the original settlement and also pay Vista $18,000 to compensate it for its legal costs.