The plaintiffs are manufacturers of small precision metal and plastic components. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of a multinational corporation with headquarters in the United Kingdom. The defendants were formerly the employees of the plaintiffs, having at different times resigned from the employment of the plaintiffs.

The aim of the present action is essentially to restrain the defendants from making use of the plaintiffs confidential/proprietary information and/or property without the plaintiffs consent and to require the defendants to return to the plaintiffs all books, equipment, software and other property of the plaintiffs which are in the defendants possession.

By an ex parte application made to the judge in chambers, the plaintiffs were, on 16 June 1989, granted an Anton Piller order permitting the plaintiffs by their representatives to enter the defendants premises to search for and remove certain specified documents and articles of the plaintiffs. The Anton Piller order was executed on the same day and the plaintiffs recovered a number of articles and documents pursuant thereto. The things recovered were duly recorded and acknowledged