Newton-John v. Scholl-Plough (Australia) Ltd.
Australia Federal Court
11 FCR 233, [1986] ATPR 47,631 (P40-697), 1986 WL 590370 (1986)

- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
Scholl-Plough (Australia) Ltd. (defendant) was the manufacturer of Maybelline cosmetics and ran a magazine advertisement that featured a model who bore a considerable likeness to Olivia Newton-John (plaintiff). At the top of the advertisement in large, striking letters were the words: “Olivia? No Maybelline!” Down one side of the advertisement were the comments: “Maybelline makes anything possible. Whatever the look you are looking for, Maybelline cosmetics will help you make it.” And then some further comments: “For the ‘Olivia Look’ use ‘Blooming Colours’ Neapolitan Frosts eyeshadow.” Olivia Newton-John claimed that Scholl-Plough had committed the tort of passing off because the use of an Olivia Newton-John look-a-like combined with reference to her name in the advertisement created a false impression that she endorsed the advertisement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Burchett, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.