Sexpo has lost its application against an anti-sexualisation organisation over claims it labelled Sexpo organisers “paedophiles” and “sexual predators”.
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Sexpo lawyers claimed Collective Shout had been misleading in its claims advertising for the sex-trade show on Brisbane City Council buses last year had promoted live sex cam site MyFreeCams, a Sexpo sponsor.
According to court documents, Sexpo also alleged Collective Shout republished two tweets that stated the company had been advertising live sex shows and “grooming” children with its ads.
A Collective Shout Instagram caption also used the hashtag #corporatepedophilia in one of its posts from last year, Sexpo alleged.
Sexpo’s lawyers said these statements were misleading and deceptive and represented Sexpo and its organisers as “pedophiles, sexual predators or child abusers”.
In August, lawyers representing the sex-trade show filed an application to the Federal Court of Brisbane to request Collective Shout hand over its financial documents to determine whether Sexpo could sue for damages for "misleading and deceptive conduct" under consumer law.
On Tuesday, Justice John Reeves dismissed Sexpo’s application.
“I do not consider Sexpo has established that it held a reasonable belief that it had suffered any harm to its commercial reputation as a consequence of Collective Shout’s alleged representations such that it may have a right to obtain relief in a claim against it,” he said.
