On a case management hearing, the defendants made admissions on which judgment was entered. The master reserved but later awarded costs. The defendants appealed against the costs order saying that the claimants had proceeded unnecessarily aggressively and had failed to disclose evidence in a timely way. The appeal took effect as a rehearing. Intellectual property cases should be subject to the same overriding objectives as in other cases. In this case the order was correct. An appeal to a High Court judge against an order for costs, was a rehearing, and such a judge was free to exercise his discretion accordingly. Where however the issue related to something specifically within the knowledge of the first instance judge such as the proportionality of the costs to the matter in cause this was to be disturbed only rarely. That the award was made on what was essentially a case management conference should not make a difference of principle.
Citations:
Gazette 17-Feb-2000, Times 02-Mar-2000
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Costs, Intellectual Property
Updated: 15 May 2022; Ref: scu.89399