New small claims service to be introduced at the patent county court
A new small claims service is to be introduced at the patent county court, helping small and medium sized businesses protect their copyright, patents, trademarks and designs.
The new service will limit fixed costs and allow damages of up to £5,000 per case. According to the Intellectual Property Office, about 150 firms will benefit from the service every year.
A small claims service was one of the recommendations of the Hargreaves Review of intellectual property, published in May. Evidence presented to the Review indicated that about one in six small and medium sized businesses had given up attempting to enforce their rights due to high court costs.
Minister for intellectual property, Baroness Wilcox said the government hoped to have the new system in place “by this time next year”.
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