Johnson v. Canadian Tennis Association
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
Law Firm / Organization
Self Represented
CANADIAN TENNIS ASSOCIATION
Law Firm / Organization
McLennan Ross LLP
Lawyer(s)

Blake P. Hafso

MILOS RAONIC
Law Firm / Organization
Independent
Lawyer(s)

Mark Feigenbaum

GENIE BOUCHARD
Law Firm / Organization
Not Specified
DENIS SHAPOVALOV
Law Firm / Organization
McLennan Ross LLP
Lawyer(s)

Blake P. Hafso

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME
Law Firm / Organization
McLennan Ross LLP
Lawyer(s)

Blake P. Hafso

  • Background: Christopher Johnson sued the Canadian Tennis Association and players including Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, alleging they reposted his photographs on social media without authorization from June 2016 to mid-2019.

  • Claims: Johnson sought damages and an injunction against further alleged copyright breaches.

  • Court's Decision: The court partially granted the defendants' motion requiring Johnson to post $44,870.50 as security for costs. If not paid within 60 days, the action would be dismissed without further orders. An additional $5,000 in costs for the motion was awarded to the defendants.

  • Rationale: Citing Johnson’s history of non-payment and "abusive" litigation conduct, the court applied Rule 416(1) of the Federal Courts Rules, which supports security for costs when there are unpaid cost orders against a plaintiff.

  • Outcome: Johnson was ordered to provide security to continue his lawsuit, with the stipulation that failure to comply within the specified timeframe would result in dismissal of his action.

Federal Court
T-1686-21
Intellectual property
$ 44,871
Defendant
03 November 2021