Supreme Court ruling resolves bottled water brand dispute and paves way for damages claims

A LEGAL battle between two bottled water companies that has bounced between various courts for more than two years has finally been settled - with no party emerging as the ultimate victor.

- NICOLA MAWSON

However, one of the parties, Oasis Water, is considering claiming damages from three former franchisees in the wake of the ruling. The matter began when water shop network Oasis launched legal proceedings against three former franchisees who Oasis alleged converted Oasis outlets they owned into MANZI outlets in breach of contract. Around 12 separate legal cases were instituted by Oasis.

This was followed by the former franchisees - by then rebranded as MANZI Water - alleging that it was Oasis that had breached contract. Their arguments included claims that Oasis was competing with its own franchisees. The dispute involved 26 franchise agreements, representing 75 water outlets.