In order to prevent smaller firms from being deterred from litigating claims over intellectual property rights because of the costs involved, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that from 1 October 2010 the limit of recoverable costs in an action in the Patents County Court is restricted to £50,000 on liability and £25,000 on an enquiry for damages.
Other measures have also been introduced which it is hoped will streamline the process and enable litigation to be handled at much lower cost.
The changes resulted from advice received by the MoJ from professionals in the field, who considered that small firms were unwilling to use the Court because of the potentially high costs.
The announcement can be found on the Intellectual Property Office's website.
IP Court Costs Capped
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