Case Law[2025] ZAGPJHC 1233South Africa
Phoenix International Logistics (Pty) Ltd v Blaque Cherry Logistics Pty Ltd t/a Phoenix Logics SA (2024/014349) [2025] ZAGPJHC 1233 (26 November 2025)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)
26 November 2025
Judgment
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# South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
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## Phoenix International Logistics (Pty) Ltd v Blaque Cherry Logistics Pty Ltd t/a Phoenix Logics SA (2024/014349) [2025] ZAGPJHC 1233 (26 November 2025)
Phoenix International Logistics (Pty) Ltd v Blaque Cherry Logistics Pty Ltd t/a Phoenix Logics SA (2024/014349) [2025] ZAGPJHC 1233 (26 November 2025)
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sino date 26 November 2025
SAFLII
Note:
Certain
personal/private details of parties or witnesses have been
redacted from this document in compliance with the law
and
SAFLII
Policy
FLYNOTES:
INTELLECTUAL
– Passing off –
Logistics
industry –
Confusingly
similar name – Trader may protect a name that has acquired
distinctiveness through long use – Initial
undertaking to
cease use was considered as an admission of potential confusion –
Dominant feature “Phoenix”
remained – Both
entities operate in the same industry – Created a reasonable
probability of confusion and a real
risk of harm –
Substantial reputation and clear right demonstrated –
Interdict granted.
REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
DIVISION, JOHANNESBURG
Case Number: 2024-014349
(1)
REPORTABLE: NO
(2)
OF INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: NO
(3)
REVISED: YES
26 November 2025
In
the matter between:
PHOENIX
INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS (PTY) LTD
Applicant
and
BLAQUE
CHERRY LOGISTICS (PTY)
LTD
t/a
PHOENIX LOGISTIC
SA
Respondent
This Judgment is handed
down electronically by circulation to the applicant’s legal
representatives and the respondents by
email, publication on Case
Lines. The date for the handing down is deemed 26 November 2025.
Trade
and competition - Trade - Passing-off - Requirements -
Reputation must have been in existence when
the defendant entered the market and when the misrepresentation was
committed.
JUDGMENT
Mudau, J
Introduction
[1]
This matter concerns a classic dispute in the realm of intellectual
property and unfair competition, specifically the
common law delict
of passing-off. At its heart lies the tension between protecting
established business reputations and the freedom
of traders to use
elements of language that may be considered common or descriptive.
The Court is called upon to navigate this
delicate balance in the
context of the modern South African logistics industry.
[2]
The applicant, Phoenix International Logistics (Pty) Ltd, seeks a
final interdict to restrain the respondent, Blaque Cherry
Logistics
(Pty) Ltd, from what it alleges is an unlawful passing-off of its
services and business as being connected to the applicant.
The relief
sought is both specific, targeting the name "Phoenix Logistics,"
and general, aimed at any deceptively similar
name.
[3]
The application is opposed vigorously, with the respondent raising
not only substantive defences to the passing-off claim
but also
significant procedural objections to the evidence presented before
the Court. The litigation has been characterised by
last-minute
filings, allegations of bad faith, and fundamental disagreements
about the very nature of the applicant's rights.
[4]
The matter was argued before me; the parties having filed extensive
heads of argument and supplementary affidavits that
substantially
expanded the evidentiary record. I am indebted to counsel for their
thorough and helpful submissions, both written
and oral, which have
greatly assisted the Court in navigating the complex factual and
legal landscape presented.
In
limine
[5]
In
limine
,
the respondent contends that
the
cause of action for the applicant revolves around the respondent and
their Managing Director, which also led the applicant to
a LinkedIn
page (a social media platform) belonging to the respondent's Managing
Director in her personal capacity, where she describes
her
occupation. The respondent contends that
this
results in a non-joinder of this Managing Director and renders the
applicant's relief sought to be
nullius
juris
against
the respondent. The contention is without merit. It overlooks the
legal position. The rule is that any person is a necessary
party and
should be joined if such a person has a direct and substantial
interest in any order the court might make, or if such
an order
cannot be sustained or carried into effect without prejudicing that
party.
[1]
In this case, not only
is the Managing Director the respondent’s sole director, but is
also the deponent to the opposing
affidavit.
[6]
The respondent bemoans that the confirmatory affidavit by Ms. Hunkin
confirms that the contents of the confirmatory affidavit
were deposed
to on 31 January 2024. The founding affidavit was deposed to later on
9 February 2024. Respondent contends that the
confirmatory affidavit
is inadmissible as it was entered into 9 days before the founding
affidavit. This point in
limine
is upheld.
[7]
Before delving into the substantive merits, it is necessary to set
out the factual background in some detail, as the chronology
of
events and the conduct of the parties are central to the
determination of this application.
Background
and factual matrix
[8]
The applicant was formally registered with the Companies and
Intellectual Property Commission ("CIPC") under
the name
"Phoenix International Logistics (Pty) Ltd" on 29 March
2005. It has, according to its founding affidavit, continuously
traded under this name for a period now exceeding nineteen years,
establishing itself within the specialised field of international
freight and logistics services.
[9]
The respondent, Blaque Cherry Logistics (Pty) Ltd, was registered at
a later date. The exact date of its registration
is not material for
present purposes, but it is common cause that it commenced trading
under the style "Phoenix Logistics,"
a name not formally
registered as part of its corporate identity but adopted as a trading
name.
[10]
The catalyst for this litigation occurred in or around October 2023,
when the applicant's management became aware of
the respondent's
existence and its use of the trading name "Phoenix Logistics."
This discovery prompted the applicant's
attorneys to dispatch a
letter of demand dated 6 November 2023, calling upon the Respondent
to "cease and desist" from
using the name within a period
of fourteen days.
[11]
The respondent's initial response, through its attorneys of record,
was significant. In a communication dated 28 November
2023 (Annexure
"FA8"), the respondent's attorneys stated that their client
"agrees to immediately refrain from making
use of the
applicant's name." This concession is a pivotal piece of
evidence, as it demonstrates that the respondent itself,
upon legal
advice, recognised the problematic nature of its chosen trading name.
[12]
A dispute subsequently arose not over the principle of ceasing use,
but over the practical timeframe for doing so. The
respondent
requested "sufficient time" to change its branding, which
it later quantified as a period of six months. The
applicant, viewing
this as excessive, refused and gave the respondent until the end of
December 2023 to comply; failing which,
the present application would
be launched.
[13]
The respondent filed its answering affidavit, deposed to by its sole
director, Ms. Melissa Chantel Olivier. The defences
raised therein
can be summarised as follows: The respondent operates in different,
non-competing areas of the logistics industry
compared to the
applicant. The choice of the name "Phoenix" was inspired by
the director's personal fascination with
the mythological phoenix
bird, born from her own life experiences, and was not selected with
any knowledge of the applicant. The
respondent was willing to change
its name and branding, but required a reasonable period of six months
to do so effectively. Any
potential infringement that may have
existed was definitively "cured" as of 19 January 2024,
when the respondent changed
its trading name to "Phoenix Group
SA."
[14]
The applicant filed a replying affidavit, challenging these defences.
It pointed out, inter alia, that the respondent's
claim of requiring
six months was belied by its ability to effect a name change by
January 2024. This, the applicant argued, demonstrated
that the
respondent's initial request was a dilatory tactic.
[15]
The procedural landscape shifted dramatically in October 2025. On 17
October 2025, the applicant filed a supplementary
affidavit,
purporting to place before the Court new evidence of the respondent's
ongoing unlawful conduct. This affidavit, deposed
to by Mr. Edward
Patrick Craig Melnick, a director of the applicant, attached three
key exhibits: Annexure “SA1”: A
printout from
the respondent's website, dated 8 October 2025, showing the
respondent trading as "Phoenix Group SA (Pty) Ltd." Annexure
“SA2”: A screenshot of a social media account on the
platform "X" (formerly Twitter), dated 7 October
2025,
displaying the handle and profile for "B[…] C[…]
L[…] P[…] T[…] P[…] L[…]."
The account is under the username "@M[…]". Annexure
“SA3”: An extract from the South African
Revenue
Service ("SARS") website, specifically its list of
registered cargo carriers, dated 6 October 2025. This list
includes
the entry: "25121457 Blaque Cherry Logistics T/A Phoenix
Logistics."
[16]
The applicant argued that this evidence demonstrated a continued,
unlawful association with the "Phoenix" name
and,
specifically, a failure to disengage from the "Phoenix
Logistics" style fully.
[17]
The respondent, in turn, filed a comprehensive "response to
applicant's supplementary affidavit" on 28 October
2025. This
affidavit raised a strong objection in
limine
to the admission
of the supplementary evidence and provided substantive rebuttals to
the allegations. The respondent's key points
in response
were procedural objections. The applicant filed the
supplementary affidavit without prior leave of the Court,
at the
"11th hour," and in doing so, attempted to cure a defective
founding case. new cause of action: The
applicant was
impermissibly seeking to expand its case from an objection to
"Phoenix Logistics" to a claim of exclusive
ownership over
the word "Phoenix" itself. The respondent further
contended that the respondent changed their name
in December 2023,
which took effect in January 2024, as admitted by the Applicant.
[18]
As for the "X" Account: this was a personal, inactive
social media account of Ms. Olivier, not a corporate
account of the
respondent. The respondent is not a party to the online account and
cannot be held liable for the director's personal
online presence.
The account has zero posts and has been dormant since its 2021
creation. The SARS Record: The respondent
denies knowledge of
this specific record, questions its authenticity, and provides its
own SARS Value-Added Tax registration document
(Annexure “CC6”)
dated June 2025, which clearly reflects the registered name as
"Phoenix Group SA." It suggests
the applicant's document
may be bogus or that SARS's internal systems may contain outdated
information for which the respondent
cannot be held responsible.
[19]
The respondent also attached CIPC search results (Annexures “CC3”,
“CC4”, “CC5”)
showing hundreds of registered
companies incorporating the words "Phoenix," "Phoenix
Logistics," and "Phoenix
Group" in their names. This,
it argued, definitively proves that the applicant cannot claim a
monopoly over this common, ancient
word.
[20]
The applicant also filed a Notice of Motion seeking condonation for
the late filing of its supplementary affidavit, which
application is
now before the Court. This, then, forms the complex factual
substratum upon which the legal issues must be determined.
The
applicable legal framework
[21]
The legal principles governing the delict of passing-off are deeply
entrenched in South African common law and have been
refined through
a consistent line of appellate authority. The foundational purpose of
the action is to protect the proprietary
interest a trader has in the
goodwill of its business, which is an integral part of its
incorporeal property.
[22]
The classic definition
was articulated in
Capital
Estate and General Agencies (Pty) Ltd and Others v Holiday Inns Inc
and Others
[2]
:
“The wrong
known as passing-off consists in a representation by one person that
his business (or merchandise, as the case
may be) is that of another,
or that it is associated with that of another, and, in order to
determine whether a representation
amounts to a passing-off, one
enquires whether there is a reasonable likelihood that members of the
public may be confused into
believing that the business of the one
is, or is connected with, that of another.”
[3]
[23]
The modern formulation of
the requirements for a successful passing-off action was succinctly
summarised in the Supreme Court of
Appeal, as Corbett CJ put it
in
Williams
t/a Jenifer Williams & Associates & another v Life Line
Southern Transvaal
[4]
:
“
In its classic
form it usually consists in A representing, either expressly or
impliedly (but almost invariably by the latter means),
that the goods
or services marketed by him emanate in the course of business from B
or that there is an association between such
goods or services and
the business conducted by B. Such conduct is treated by our law as
being wrongful because it results, or
is calculated to result, in the
improper filching of another’s trade and/or in an improper
infringement of his goodwill and/or
in causing injury to another’s
reputation. Such a representation may be made impliedly by A adopting
a trade name or a get-up
or mark for his goods which so resembles B’s
name or get-up or that A’s goods or services emanate from B or
that there
is the association between them referred to above. Thus,
in order to succeed in a passing off action based upon an implied
representation
it is generally incumbent upon the plaintiff to
establish,
inter
alia
:
firstly, that the name, get-up or mark used by him has become
distinctive of his goods or services, in the sense that the public
associate the name, get-up or mark with the goods or services
marketed by him (this is often referred to as the acquisition of
reputation); and, secondly, that the name, get-up or mark used by the
defendant is such or is so used as to cause the public to
be confused
or deceived in the manner described above.”
[5]
[24]
The Supreme Court of
Appeal in
Caterham
Car Sales & Coachworks Ltd v Birkin Cars (Pty) Ltd and
Another
,
[6]
provided
further crucial guidance. The court emphasised that the reputation
relied upon must have been in existence at the
time the respondent
entered the market.
[7]
Furthermore, it elucidated the interconnectedness of the elements,
stating in paragraph 15 that:
“
The
essence of an action for passing-off is to protect a business against
a misrepresentation of a particular kind, namely that
the business,
goods or services of the representor is that of the plaintiff or is
associated therewith. In other words, it protects
against deception
as to a trade source or to a business connection. Misrepresentations
of this kind can be committed only in relation
to a business that has
goodwill or a drawing power (Afrikaans: 'werfkrag'). Goodwill is the
totality of attributes that lure or
entice clients or potential
clients to support a particular business.” Footnotes omitted.
[25]
More recently, in
Koni
Multinational Brands (Pty) Ltd v Beiersdorf AG
,
[8]
the Supreme Court of Appeal reaffirmed these principles, underscoring
that the test for confusion is a factual one, to be assessed
from the
perspective of the "average consumer," who is considered to
be reasonably attentive and equipped with average
intelligence, but
who may not have the opportunity to make a side-by-side comparison
and who typically relies upon an imperfect
recollection.
[9]
[26]
It is trite that the name
of a business is a prime vehicle for carrying goodwill. As stated
in
Life
Line Southern Transvaal
[10]
,
the protection extends to any name, whether it be the actual
corporate name or a trade name under which the business is conducted,
provided it has acquired a public reputation.
[27]
A critical consideration
in cases involving common or descriptive words is the principle
established in
Link
Estates (Pty) Ltd v Rink Estates (Pty) Ltd.
[11]
A
trader cannot appropriate a word that is common to the trade and
claim exclusive rights to it. However, if, through extensive
use,
that common word has acquired a secondary meaning distinctive of the
trader's business in the minds of the public, it may
be protected.
The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that the word has become
so distinctive of its business that its use
by another in a similar
field is likely to deceive.
[12]
[28]
Finally, the remedy of a final interdict requires the applicant to
demonstrate a clear right, a reasonable apprehension
of irreparable
harm if the interdict is not granted, and the absence of any other
satisfactory remedy. In the context of passing-off,
a clear right is
established by proving the elements of the delict, and the absence of
an alternative remedy is often self-evident,
as damages for
reputational harm are notoriously difficult to quantify.
Admissibility
of the supplementary affidavit
[29]
The respondent's
objection to the supplementary affidavit is a threshold issue that
must be resolved. The general rule in motion
proceedings, as
articulated in
Shephard
v Tuckers Land and Development Corporation (Pty) Ltd,
[13]
is
that the matter must be decided on the founding, answering, and
replying affidavits. The court has a discretion to allow further
affidavits, but this discretion must be exercised judiciously.
[30]
The principles governing
the admission of further affidavits were summarised in
James
Brown & Hamer (Pty) Ltd v Simmons NO,
[14]
and
subsequent cases. A court may permit a further affidavit where
it
should, having regard to all the circumstances of the case,
nevertheless be received
.
This is because
an
affidavit is tendered in motion proceedings, both late and out of its
ordinary sequence; the party tendering it is seeking not
a right, but
an indulgence from the court: He or she must both advance his
explanation of why the affidavit is out of time. The
adequacy
or otherwise of the explanation for the late tendering of the
affidavit will always be an important factor in the
enquiry.
An
attempted
definition of the ambit of judicial discretion is neither easy nor
desirable.
[15]
[31]
The applicant's justification for the supplementary affidavit is that
it contains evidence of the respondent's conduct
"that has
arisen after the exchange of papers." Specifically, the website
printout, social media screenshot, and SARS
extract are all dated
October 2025, long after the replying affidavit was filed.
[32]
The respondent counters that this evidence is not truly "new."
It argues that the "X" account was
created in 2021, the
name change was already disclosed in the answering affidavit, and the
SARS information, while dated October
2025, relates to a situation
that likely existed for some time. It accuses the applicant of
tactical manoeuvring, having read the
respondent's heads of argument
and realised the weaknesses in its case.
[33]
I find the respondent's objections, while procedurally sound, to be
ultimately unpersuasive in the specific circumstances
of this case.
The evidence in the supplementary affidavit is directly relevant to
the central issue before the Court: whether the
respondent's current
conduct amounts to passing-off. The fact that a social media account
was created in 2021 is less important
than the fact that it was still
publicly accessible and identified the respondent as "t/a
Phoenix Logistics" in October
2025. The SARS record, if
authentic, is powerful evidence of how the respondent is officially
listed with a key regulatory body
at a point in time long after it
claimed to have remedied the situation.
[34]
While the applicant should ideally have sought the Court's leave
before filing, the interests of justice favour admitting
this
evidence. A court must be placed in the best possible position to
decide based on the full and current factual matrix, particularly
where the ongoing nature of the alleged wrong is in issue. To ignore
this evidence on a technicality would be to risk a decision
based on
an incomplete and potentially outdated picture.
[35]
Furthermore, the respondent has suffered no irremediable prejudice.
It was given a full and fair opportunity to respond
to the
supplementary affidavit, which it did comprehensively and timeously.
Its rights of
audi alteram
partem have been fully respected.
[36]
The respondent's argument that the supplementary affidavit introduces
a "new cause of action" by objecting
to "Phoenix Group
SA" is also not entirely accurate. The cause of action remains
passing-off. The new evidence is presented
to demonstrate that the
respondent's purported solution (adopting "Phoenix Group SA")
does not adequately eliminate the
likelihood of confusion and that
residual use of the old name persists. This is an evolution of the
factual basis for the same
cause of action, not the introduction of a
new one.
[37]
For these reasons, the application for condonation for the late
filing of the supplementary affidavit is granted, and
the affidavit
and its annexures are admitted into evidence. The respondent's reply
thereto is similarly admitted.
Application
of law to facts
[38]
With the evidentiary record complete, I now turn to apply the legal
principles to the facts.
A
goodwill or reputation
[39]
The first requirement is that the applicant must establish a
protectable goodwill or reputation in its name, "Phoenix
International Logistics." It is common cause that the applicant
has been trading under this name since 2005, a period of nearly
twenty years. The respondent provides no evidence to contradict the
applicant's assertion of having built up a reputation in the
logistics industry over this substantial period. The length of time
alone is a strong, though not conclusive, indicator of the
establishment of goodwill.
[40]
The respondent's primary challenge on this point is not to the
existence of a reputation, but to its scope and distinctiveness.
It
argues that "Phoenix" is a common, generic word and that
the applicant cannot claim exclusivity over it.
[41]
The test at this stage is not whether the name is unique or
inventive, but whether it has acquired a secondary meaning
as
distinctive of the applicant's business in the minds of the relevant
public. The name "Phoenix International Logistics"
is not
purely descriptive. While "International Logistics" is
generic for the trade, the word "Phoenix" serves
as a
distinctive identifier or brand name. The combination creates a
specific commercial identity.
[42]
The respondent's own conduct is highly instructive. Its initial
undertaking to "immediately refrain" from using
the
applicant's name is a telling admission. A trader who genuinely
believes that there is no risk of confusion and that the name
is
freely available does not typically capitulate so readily. This
undertaking is compelling evidence that the respondent itself
perceived the applicant's name as possessing a reputation that would
be infringed by its continued use of "Phoenix Logistics."
[43]
I am satisfied, on the evidence before me, that the applicant has
discharged the onus of proving that it has a substantial
and valuable
goodwill and reputation in the name "Phoenix International
Logistics" within the South African logistics
industry.
Misrepresentation
and likelihood of confusion
[44]
This is the most contentious element of the case. The question is
whether the respondent's use of "Phoenix Group
SA" (and any
residual use of "Phoenix Logistics") constitutes a
misrepresentation likely to confuse.
[45]
The test for confusion is not whether the names are identical, but
whether they are sufficiently similar to probably
deceive or cause
confusion amongst a substantial number of ordinary, reasonable
customers. The comparison must be made with reference
to the sound,
appearance, and ideas conveyed by the marks, considering the overall
impression, and giving due regard to the dominant
features.
[46]
Comparing "Phoenix International Logistics" with "Phoenix
Group SA":
The dominant and most memorable feature of
both names is the word "Phoenix." It is the first word in
both and serves
as the brand anchor. The suffixes "International
Logistics" and "Group SA" are both descriptive of the
nature
and scope of the business. To the average customer, the
distinction between "International Logistics" and "Group
SA" in the context of a logistics company may not be significant
enough to dispel the impression of a connection. A customer
could
easily assume that "Phoenix Group SA" is a holding company,
a specific division, or a recently rebranded entity
of "Phoenix
International Logistics." Both entities operate in the same
broad industry: logistics. This is a critical
factor. The risk of
confusion is inherently higher when similar names are used in the
same field of trade.
[47]
The respondent's evidence of numerous other "Phoenix"
companies is noted. However, this evidence is of limited
probative
value. The existence of "Phoenix Attorneys" or "Phoenix
Barber Shop" does not diminish the likelihood
of confusion
between two logistics companies. The relevant market for the
comparison is the logistics and freight industry. The
applicant is
not required to sue every company with "Phoenix" in its
name; it needs only to protect its reputation in
its own field of
trade against a newcomer in that same field whose name is confusingly
similar.
[48]
The evidence of residual use of the old name is damaging to the
respondent's case. The SARS record (SA3) is
particularly
significant. SARS is a fundamental regulatory body for any trading
company. For the respondent to be listed there
as "t/a Phoenix
Logistics" in October 2025, after it claimed to have cured the
infringement in January 2024, suggests
either a lack of diligence in
updating its details with a crucial authority or a willingness to
maintain the association. This
is not a minor or informal platform;
it is an official government database used by industry participants.
This creates a tangible
risk of confusion amongst suppliers, clients,
and other logistics partners.
[49]
Significantly, the "X" account (SA2), while personal
and inactive, still presents a public-facing profile
that explicitly
links the respondent to "Phoenix Logistics." The
respondent's argument that it is a personal account
is technically
correct, but commercially naive. The profile description is entirely
professional, promoting "Blaque Cherry
Logistics." A member
of the public searching for the respondent online could easily
encounter this profile and be led to believe
it is the company's
official or former trading style. The respondent's director, as the
sole representative of the company, has
a responsibility to ensure
her public professional profiles do not contribute to consumer
confusion.
[50]
The cumulative effect of the similarity between "Phoenix Group
SA" and the applicant's name, coupled with the
persistent
official and online references to "Phoenix Logistics,"
creates a likelihood of confusion that is more than
fanciful. It is a
reasonable probability.
Damage
or likelihood thereof
[51]
As the
Caterham
case established, the likelihood of
confusion and the likelihood of damage often go hand-in-hand. If the
public is confused,
damage to the applicant's goodwill is almost
inevitable. The potential forms of damage in this case are
clear: Diversion of
Trade: A confused customer seeking the
applicant's services may inadvertently engage the
respondent. Reputational harm: Any
negative experience with
the respondent's services could be attributed to the applicant,
tarnishing its hard-earned reputation.
The applicant specifically
raised the concern of online reviews being misattributed. Erosion of
distinctiveness: the unique
connection in the public mind
between the "Phoenix" name and the applicant's business is
diluted, blurring its brand
identity.
[52]
The applicant does not need to quantify this damage with precision.
It is sufficient to show a reasonable apprehension
of a likelihood of
harm, which it has done.
The
respondent's defences
[53]
The respondent's substantive defences have been largely addressed in
the analysis above, but I will summarise my findings
on each.
Regarding different areas of business, the respondent
provided no convincing evidence to substantiate this claim.
Both are
logistics companies. The mere assertion is insufficient to displace
the obvious overlap and the consequent likelihood
of
confusion. Personal fascination with the Phoenix: The
director's subjective reason for choosing the name is irrelevant.
The
law of passing-off is concerned with the objective effect of the name
on the public, not the respondent's state of mind.
[54]
The name was changed to "Phoenix Group SA": For the
reasons explained, this new name does not sufficiently
distinguish
the respondent from the applicant. The dominant, confusing element
"Phoenix" remains.
[55]
The respondent alleges that "Phoenix" is a common
word. This is the respondent's strongest argument, but
it
ultimately fails in the specific context of this case. The applicant
is not claiming a monopoly on the word "Phoenix."
It is
claiming the right to prevent another logistics company from using it
as the dominant part of its name in a way that is likely
to confuse.
The principle from
Link Estates
is not a licence to
infringe; it simply places a higher onus on the applicant, which I
find it has discharged through nearly
two decades of use and the
evidence of its established reputation.
Costs
[56]
The general principle is that costs follow the event. The applicant
has been substantially successful in obtaining the
final interdict it
sought. The respondent's conduct, particularly its failure to ensure
that its details with SARS were promptly
and accurately updated,
contributed to the necessity of the supplementary proceedings and
prolonged the litigation. In addition,
the "X"
account. There is no suggestion by the respondent that the password
cannot be retried at all. This conduct
supports a costs order in the
applicant's favour.
Conclusion
[57]
The applicant has successfully proven all the elements of the delict
of passing-off. It has established a reputation
in the name "Phoenix
International Logistics." The respondent's use of "Phoenix
Group SA" and its residual
use of "Phoenix Logistics"
creates a likelihood of confusion, and this confusion poses a real
likelihood of damage to
the applicant's goodwill. The applicant has a
clear right to protect its reputation, will suffer irreparable harm
if the respondent's
conduct continues, and has no other satisfactory
remedy.
[58]
In the result, the following order is made:
1. The respondent is
hereby interdicted and restrained from passing-off its services
and/or business as being that of the applicant,
or as being connected
in the course of trade with the applicant, by using the name "Phoenix
Logistics" or any other name
incorporating the word "Phoenix"
that is confusingly or deceptively similar to the applicant's name
"Phoenix International
Logistics" in relation to logistics,
freight, or associated services.
2. The respondent is
ordered to take all necessary steps within 30 (thirty) days of this
order to ensure that its details with the
South African Revenue
Service and any other relevant public or industry registers are
amended to reflect a trading name that is
not confusingly or
deceptively similar to the applicant's name as set out in paragraph
1.
3. The respondent is
ordered to pay the costs of this application, including the costs of
two counsel (one senior and one junior)
where two were employed, such
costs to be taxed on Scale B of the tariff.
T P MUDAU
JUDGE OF THE HIGH
COURT
GAUTENG DIVISION,
JOHANNESBURG
Appearances
For
the Applicants: Heads by Adv Puckrin SC
:
Adv P Cirone
Instructed
: Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys
For
the Respondent : Adv Neelan Ramsingh
Instructed
: Naidoo & Roelofsen Attorneys
Date
of hearing : 03 November 2025
Date
of Judgement : 26 November 2025
[1]
See
Watson
NO v Ngonyama and Another
[2021]
ZASCA 74
;
[2021] 3 All SA 412
(SCA);
2021 (5) SA 559
(SCA)
at
para 51.
[2]
1977 (2) SA 916 (A).
[3]
Id
at 929.
[4]
[1996] ZASCA 46
;
1996 (3) SA 408
(SCA) (
Life
Line Southern Transvaal
).
[5]
Id
at
418D-F.
[6]
[1998]
ZASCA 44
;
1998 (3) SA 938
(SCA);
[1998] 3 All SA 175
(A) (
Caterham
).
[7]
Id
at
para 22.
[8]
[2021] ZASCA 24
;
2021 BIP 15 (SCA); [2021] HIPR 162 (SCA).
[9]
Id
at para 27.
[10]
Ibid.
[11]
1979 (2) SA 276 (E).
[12]
Id
at 280.
[13]
1978 (1) SA 173 (W).
[14]
1963 (4) SA 656 (A).
[15]
Id
at
660.
sino noindex
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