This photo taken from the Facebook page of 9 3/4 cafe, in Hong Kong, shows a view inside the restaurant.
Hong Kong’s Harry Potter-themed cafe, which lost a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Entertainment over copyright infringement, continued operations without removing iconic elements seen in the movie franchise.
“9 3/4 cafe is not related to Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling,” reads a poster at the front of the cafe, along with other props featured in the fantasy movies, including Hogwarts’ envelope and wizard hat.
Magic wands are scattered on the front desk while the interior is decorated with broomsticks and other movie merchandise. Meanwhile, dish names derived from the movie on the menu have not changed.
The court ordered the cafe and its owners on Tuesday to stop using any of the trademarked properties from the movies, including the names of characters and places, among the cafe’s products and other decorations immediately
Founded in 2017 in the bustling Mong Kok business district of Kowloon, the eatery was found to be in violation of copyright laws on Tuesday and was ordered by the High Court to pay compensation to Warner Bros. Entertainment.
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The plaintiff's barrister cited a number of infringements, including the use of “Hagrid” and “Muggle” on the menu, which are trademarked by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Also, the cafe’s name, 9 3/4 Cafe, is the same name as used for “the Platform 9 3/4” in Harry Potter.
Court of First Instance judge David Lok Kai-hong stated that the defendants had acted in “bad faith” in using the name “9 3/4 Cafe” without authorization.
The court ordered the cafe and its owners on Tuesday to stop using any of the trademarked properties from the movies, including the names of characters and places, among the cafe’s products and other decorations immediately.
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The defendants are DKAJ Ltd, the cafe’s operator, and its four directors: Kelvin Ching Kai-lim, Tsang Chiu-yeung, Wan Chin-yeung and Leung Chin-hei.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit had already reached a settlement with Tsang and Leung. Only the other defendants were dealt with in this trial. All the accused were absent from the hearing.
The staff in the eatery did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
