Login
Rival sex award hosts remain locked in trademark clash
Feuding former business partners behind an adult entertainment industry awards event will continue their trademark battle despite a complaint about a lack of financial backing.
Naomi Neilson
Image credit: Instagram/@maxinefensom
Maxine Fensom, the founder of the Australian Adult Industry Awards and licensee of Melbourne’s SEXPO event, has sued a former business partner, Geoffrey Kenneth Williams, and his company, Jake Ryan Media Group, over allegations of trademark infringements.
Despite filing the lawsuit, Fensom failed to appear for a case management hearing on Thursday (14 March) morning.
Her counsel, Stephen Walters, appeared online late due to technical issues, but by then, criticisms had already been voiced to the judge.
Williams complained that Fensom had yet to file any evidence and did not appear at the last case management hearing.
“It just shows she has no respect for what the court actually does, which is quite upsetting because, being on the other end, this has been a very stressful two and a half years,” Williams said.
Williams added that Fensom is in the US and claimed that because her Australian companies are in liquidation, she will not have the financial backing to support the trial or to pay costs if she loses.
Williams has been appearing for himself but told Justice Helen Rofe he was expecting to pay around $350,000 if it proceeds to trial.
“This has been my main concern from day dot,” Williams said.
“I know the applicant cannot financially back this.”
In response to concerns that Fensom would continue to avoid court orders and appearances, Justice Rofe told Williams she would have one more chance, “then we’re getting a pattern of behaviour”.
“At the moment, she’s not even bothering to turn up to the case management hearing, which is not good,” Justice Rofe said.
Just as Justice Rofe was making an order to extend the time frame for submissions by one week, Walters joined the call.
Walters requested two weeks instead, telling the court he had “380-odd documents to go through”.
The request was granted an,d an order was made that the timetable be extended to 25 March.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
