DWAYS INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD V RATNA IRENE LIM SEOW HUI & 3 ORS

The plaintiff, Dways International Pte Ltd, a seller of nutritional products through direct selling, had earlier succeeded against the first and second defendants for misappropriating its products and against the first defendant for defamation, and both sides appealed against the assistant registrar's assessment of damages. A key issue was whether damages for the misappropriated products should be measured by their replacement cost or by the price at which the plaintiff sold the products to customers. The General Division of the High Court reduced the award for the misappropriation claim from $86,154 to US$4,555.28 and reduced the award for the defamation claim from $20,000 to $15,000, each with interest, and indicated it would hear the parties on costs.