Blistering Critique Of IP Litigation Fees In UK

Aaron Wood, a trademark attorney and founder of law firm Wood IP, claims that high fees in IP lawsuits are preventing settlements and calls for businesses to demand change. Wood’s critique has been circulated by UK attorneys since it was first posted on LinkedIn. He describes speaking to clients and other business representatives who are afraid to file a trademark due to the costs of potential litigation – especially “the potential for massive financial loss” if they were unsuccessful. In the UK losing parties pay at least a proportion of the other side’s costs. “Whereas in other types of litigation a capped costs regime has led to service innovation in the sector,” he writes, “but in the IP sector most firms still seek to charge an absolute fortune and get away with it because there is no real competition. Everyone works and charges the same way.”