Snake man bitten by council bites back!
Australia’s Snake Man Raymond Hoser has successfully clawed $500 from Whitehorse council in a hotly contested VCAT hearing today.
The snake man’s company, Snakebusters, had been the main attraction at the Whitehorse festival for several years..
Following a series of false complaints and adverse media generated by newly licenced rival displayers, the council cancelled their booking with Snakebusters and ran with a wildlife displayer who unlike Snakebusters, lacked the expertise to have surgically devenomized snakes to remove public risk at displays..
Incenced at his treatment by the council after a beneficial relationship lasting several years, Snakebusters sought payment of a cancellation fee being half the booking amount..
Council officers Ciel Fuller and Shane Price refused to pay and so the matter ended up in VCAT..
Today the VCAT Judge Ms P. Barrad ruled that Whitehorse Council had unlawfully broken a legal contract and she issued an order that they pay Snakebusters $500..
Snakeman Raymond Hoser described the win as a victory for all small businesses who act ethically and within the law..
Hoser said “too many law-abiding people are treated with contempt by council bureaucrats and it’s pleasing that VCAT agreed that councils should not breach the law by using their size and strength to bully people out of money they are entitled to.”.
He also said “We have suffered at the hands of inexperienced imitators who have used unlawful means to generate adverse publicity against our top-rated wildlife displays and today’s judgement will be the first of many that will show that those who make false statements against Snakebusters will eventually be brought to account.”.
Snakebusters has pending proceedings against others who have attacked or tarnished the company’s reputation..
Snakebusters have also in May this year forced the removal of over 800 websites run by and inexperienced imitator bootleging their registered trademarks in order to unawfully steal and divert Snakebusters clients..
Snakeman Raymond Hoser today said “We were missed by many at the Whitehorse Festival this year and hopefully the council will get a grip on reality and bring our superior hands-on reptile education back next year”..
In a rare move, the Australian government has given Snakebusters the trademark “Australia’s best reptiles” for pretty much everything in the reptile business.
The trademarks office confirmed that the Snake Man Raymond Hoser and his company Snakebusters were Australia's best reptile educators in schools, parties, events and elsewhere and did the best snake handling courses, school wildlife incursions, mobile reptile displays and similar. In order to get this coveted trademark, Snakebusters were able to show that:.
1 – They were measureably and quantifiably better than all others..
2 – Prove other providers, educators, reptile experts and the public unanimously agreed that Snakebusters were superior to anyone else in the reptile/wildlife industry.
3 – Confirm Snakebusters had better expertise, safety, courses, teaching, entertainment and education outcomes.In registering the trademark, the government has given Snakebusters a legally enforceable exclusive right to claim being “The best” in the Australian reptile education, teaching, courses, entertainment, displays, conservation and breeding industries..
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Further information:
http://www.snakebusters.com.au
0412-777-211
03 9812 3322
This release is published at: http://www.smuggled.com/snake-man-bitten-by-council-bites-back.htm