Warner Bros. demands court to jail owner of unlicensed Harry Potter-themed cafe

Warner Bros. Entertainment has reportedly requested a Hong Kong court to jail the owner of an unlicensed Harry Potter-themed cafe in Mong Kok, after it failed to remove relevant decorations and materials as ordered by the court last year. 

According to multiple media reports such as HK01 and Sing Tao Daily, Warner Bros. accused the Harry Potter-themed "9 ¾ Cafe"s director Kelvin Ching Kai Lim of contempt of court for using trademarked properties despite a court order to cease such practice. 

Warner Bros. has sought to imprison Ching for non-compliance with an earlier court mandate. Warner Bros. has also requested the court to impose a fine on Ching's company – D.K.A.J. and cover all legal costs. 

Don't miss: HK court orders Harry Potter-themed cafe to compensate Warner Bros. for copyright infringement

Warner Bros. Entertainment first filed a lawsuit against the cafe for copyright infringement back in January 2019. Warner Bros. accused the cafe of infringing the company's copyright and transformed it into original artwork within the restaurant, such as the 9 ¾  platform (pictured right) that appeared in the Harry Potter films. Warner Bros. demanded an unspecified sum of damages, a removal order and multiple injunctions from the court.

In August last year, High Court judge David Lok Kai Hong ordered 9 ¾ Cafe and its owners to immediately stop using any of the trademarked properties. He also ordered the owners to reveal the cafe's earnings and compensate Warner Bros., while allowing it to apply for canceling the cafe's trademark.

According to the media reports, the solicitors for Warner Bros. conducted on-site inspections at 9 3/4 Cafe in September and December last year respectively, and also reviewed their social media accounts. They discovered that the cafe had completely disregarded the court's judgment, including failing to remove infringing trademarked items and change the name of the cafe. 

After contacting the cafe and confirming its ongoing operation, the solicitors for Warner Bros made it clear that they would accuse the cafe of contempt of court. Despite this, no response was received from the cafe. As a result, Warner Bros. filed another lawsuit.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to 9 ¾ Cafe for a statement.

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