Untitled

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1810, 21 October 1874, Page 2

. Eedtk'i's Teiegjum Company v. Byeon.—Tin's was .in appeal from a decision of (he Master of the lio)h. The j defendants, Messrs. Byron and Pierce, who carried on business in Australia, and in the name of Grcville's Telegram Company, formerly as ngents for the plaintiffs in fie receipt ami distribution of telegraphic messages sent from England to Australia, and in the collection and despatch of messages sent from Australia to Jlnciknd. It is the practice of the plaintiffs to use fancy words in place of tho names and addresses of their customers, for the purpose of shortening or compressing the messages. For instance the word " Lion " might be ured to signify that a moss!ii;e. was sent from Jones, Smith,,and Co., in London, to Brown, liobinson, and Co., in Australia, and a message might run tlms, "Lion. Buy "Wool." The fancy words being all registered, the the agent would know at once from whom the message came, and to whom it was to be delivered. The defendant Byron, has now set up an independent business iv London, arid the object of the suit is to restrain him from making use of these fancy words, on tho ground that, he had acquired the knowledge of them in the course of a confidential relation between himself and the plaintiffs. The fancy words were in somo cases invented by the plaintiff?, in others by the customers themselves. The plaintiffs moved for an injunction, which the Master of the [Rolfs refused. The plaintiffs appealed. Their lordships refused to interfere upon an interlocutory motion, and they di3m?«scd the appeal with costs.