On 6 December 2017 the Federal Court of Australia ordered that SPX Vokes UK Ltd pay Laminar costs and amend the registry in favour of Laminar in respect to ownership of the Vokes Trademarks in Australia.
SPX Vokes UK Ltd is an overseas affiliate of SPX Corp USA a NYSE publicly listed company head quartered in Charlotte North Caroliner USA, with a reported turnover of $2.4B . SPX Vokes applied using section 81 of the trademarks act to claim ownership of Laminars property in Australia to which the Australian Trade Marks Office acquiesced. Laminar appealed this decision in the Federal Court and the matter was heard by Justice Robertson, who justly overturned the decision and awarded the Australian trademarks and costs to laminar Air Flow Pty Ltd the registered owner of the trademarks.
Vokes is a well-established brand in Australia, having first established in 1937 and then registering the “Vokes” name as a trade mark brand in December 1959. The Vokes trade mark name was approved on the basis of the significant trade established by the Australian entity. Vokes established its first air filtration manufacturing plant in Australia at Rockdale Sydney in 1962 and has continuously supplied the Australian, New Zealand and Asian export markets with quality filtration products.
Since 1993 Vokes has held ISO/QMS certificate number FS6054110 for design and manufacture of air filtration equipment, including biological safety cabinets, cytotoxic cabinets, electrostatic filters, HEPA filters and related special products.
Laminar acquired the “Vokes” brand from BTR Environmental in 2000.
Today Vokes continues to manufacture and market its brand of products in Australia, through licensed use and manufacturing IP to the AES Environmental group. AES is a specialist Australian owned filtration manufacturer, engineering, service and sales organisation that also markets the Email, Clyde-Apac, Lemcol, Selson and IFC Brands in Australia and in many overseas markets.
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