ROWLAND’S MACASSAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume L, Issue 5459, 21 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

ROWLAND’S MACASSAR.

The Paris correspondent of the London Daili/ yews writes : —“ Messrs A. Rowland and Sons, of Macassar Oil celebrity, hare, after long Buffering, made a successful campaign in Paris against pirates of a product which we know on the authority of Lord Byron to be incomparable. Many tradesmen hare been in the habit of soiling spurious Macassar Oil in bottles labelled, to a cursory view, precisely like the genuine ones of Hatton Garden. The only difference was that the signature in red ink, the handwriting of which was precisely imitated, appeared on close inspection, to be Bouland and Son instead of Rowland and Son. But the B was artfully made to look like an B, and there being no W in the French alphabet, the substitution of U was not likely to attract attention here. The cose is very like one I remember in the Bolls Court when omnibusses were young. A rival to the “ Omnibus Conveyance Company," painted on his omnibus “ Omnibus Conveyance for Company," but painted the word “for" in microscopic letters. Lord Londale ruled that the fraud was palpable, and granted an injunction. A material distinction in the present instance is that the 7s genuine Bowland bottle _ is marked on the spurious label 3s fid, on which difference of price Messrs A. Rowland and Sons made the observation that those who rob them of their trade mark can only sell “rubbish.” The French Courts no mow admit colourable alteration as an excuse for piracy, than does the English Courts of Chancery. But the difficulty, in the present' base arose from the long impunity which the pirates had enjoyed, and it was suggested that they might plead condonation. Armed, however, with opinions from MM. Senord, Bosereau, and several other lawyers, who demonstrated that the right to prosecute only dates from the recent Treaty of Commerce, and therefore there had been no lavAes, Messrs A. Rowland and Sons launched a cloud of writs. Most of the defendants at once caved in, and paid costs and small damages. But six who out, named Ponsot, Blaise, Delettrez, Oabrideus, Bleuro, and Panafieu, have just been cast and I condemned in damages varying from, 2<X«. 1 60Of, and costs, and a perpetual injunction

u awarded against them. The cage is important to English tradesmen, and, as one of the counsel remarks, in his opinion to French tradesmen, who cannot expect protection to their trade marks in England without reciprocity.”