Legal Cost Finance - Another Response to Sky Rocketing Court Fees

Jane Lambert Yesterday the Ministry of Justice increased fees for issuing proceedings to 5% of the value of the claim for claims over £10,000 with a cap of £10,000 for claims of £200,000 or over. For some claims that it is a whopping 622% increase in fees. The statutory instrument that effects those increases is The Civil Proceedings and Family Proceedings Fees (Amendment) Order 2015 which is available only in draft on the legislation.gov.uk website. For entrepreneurs, designers and inventors this fees increase is very bad news because most IP infringement claims are for injunctions and unspecified damages. As I explained in Why "IP Yorkshire?" 10 Sept 2008 there is a correlation between patenting and the cost of enforcement. That is why this country consistently trails not only France and Germany in the number of European patent applications but also the Netherlands with a third of our population and Switzerland with one ...