Digital Post Australia, a joint venture by mailing giants Salmat and Computershare to launch Australia’s first digital postal service, has successfully beaten off an application for an interlocutory injunction by Australia Post, which is seeking to prevent the company using the name ‘Digital Post Australia’ until trial.
Following the verdict at the Federal Court in Melbourne, Digital Post Australia will continue to use its name as it works towards providing a free and secure online digital post box for every Australian in the second half of 2012. Digital Post Australia was launched last month as a joint venture between mailing rivals Computershare, Salmat and US-based technology company Zumbox Software.
The trial of the proceeding will be finally determined by the Federal Court in Melbourne next month. In making his decision, the Federal Court judge found that on the question of whether Digital Post Australia was likely to mislead or deceive consumers in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act (Cth), Australia Post had ‘a weak case’.
“We are delighted with the outcome, which allows us to continue trading under a name that accurately reflects what we do,” said David Hynes, chairman of Digital Post Australia. “We are in an unrivalled position to deliver an innovative, ground-breaking offering to Australians in 2012, and we remain focused on the job at hand.”
Digital Post Australia has already achieved significant progress, having developed a tried-and-tested solution that has been rolled out successfully in other parts of the world and adapted to the Australian market over the past 12 months. The top mailers in Australia have provided strong support, and the company has worked closely with the country’s biggest aggregators to make sure consumers can be up and running with a digital post box with little fuss.
A digital post box makes physical post available securely and digitally in one central location online. The system acts as a personal assistant, notifying users when payments are due and organising documents in a single secure digital vault where they can be stored, tagged and searched. Digital Post Australia’s product offering will allow individuals to collate their essential communications online through a single highly secure channel, reducing the need for multiple logins and passwords.
A Salmat spokesperson told Australian Printer that in the short to medium term Digital Post is expected to have ‘no impact’ on its print volumes, and is a seen as a complementary service to both printed and electronic mail, but the longer term impact on print was as yet unknown.
“Digital post is an inevitable next step in the online evolution as consumers embrace the ease and convenience of the internet to make more of their everyday transactions,” Hynes says. “We are proud to demonstrate real leadership in making this transformational idea a reality in Australia. Our market is ready for the significant and widespread benefits a digital post box will bring for consumers and businesses.”
Digital Post Australia is on track to deliver Australia’s first digital post box in the second half of 2012, Mr Hynes said.
Chris Round, partner of Middletons Lawyers, which acted for Digital Post Australia, said: “This is a great first step for Digital Post Australia in its fight with Australia Post regarding the use of the name Digital Post Australia for its new service.”
Andrew Tribute
