Bridal wear copyright claim

A bridal wear importer yesterday filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court claiming breach of copyright by a local publication.

Eleonora Cini filed her protest in her personal capacity and on behalf of the firm Aphrodite Bridal and Formal Wear. Ms Cini also acted as representative of the foreign company Alyce Designs Inc.

The protest was filed against Nadine Cini and Ray Galea, as editor and printer of Juice magazine and against Michelle Vella.

Ms Cini told the court that Alyce Designs was a US company specialising in bridal wear and that she and her firm represented the company in Malta and were exclusive distributors of the company's products.

She added that in the March edition of Juice magazine photographs of bridal wear designed and manufactured by the foreign company and sold exclusively in Malta by Ms Cini had been published. The magazine had advertised the bridal wear as being for sale from Ms Vella's shop in Sta Venera.

Ms Cini said the foreign company owned the copyright both in the case of the photos that were published and in the case of the bridal wear advertised, and that the company had not issued any authorisation for them to be published.

Nor had the company authorised Ms Vella to sell the bridal wear.

Ms Cini called upon the magazine and on Ms Vella to publish a correction in the next issue of Juice and to make good the damages she had sustained.

Lawyer Pawlu Lia signed the protest.