Low-cost litigation to come to the UK

01 February 2010

London's Patents County Court is set to be transformed, following recommendations made in a wide-ranging review of litigation costs

James Nurton, London

London's Patents County Court (PCC) is set to be transformed, following recommendations made in a wide-ranging review of litigation costs published last month. If implemented, the changes could see the costs and risks of IP litigation slashed in low-value cases.

In his Review of Civil Litigation Costs, published on January 14, Lord Justice Jackson recommended that proposals put together by users of the PCC should be implemented. These proposals aim to increase access to justice for SMEs, following criticism that the UK does not offer low-cost court options like those available in some other European countries.

The main reforms are that parties in PCC cases will have to set out their cases at the outset, hearings would be limited and the trial would be restricted to one or two days. Recovery of costs would be governed by scale fees, and would be capped at £50,000 ($81,000) in...

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