The Big Bus Company Ltd v Ticketogo Ltd [2015] EWHC 1094 (Pat)
This was an application by Big Bus, an operator of open top bus sightseeing tours, for pre-action disclosure against a patentee, Ticketogo under CPR 31.16. The disclosure sought was comprised of patent licences previously granted by Ticketogo to third parties. Such disclosure would enable Big Bus to quantify the value of Ticketogo’s claim for patent infringement, a claim that Ticketogo had threatened through a series of pre-action letters sent by its solicitors. The judge ordered the disclosure sought as an exercise of his discretion on that basis that transparency was a virtue and the availability of price information was one of the key requirements for the proper functioning of any market.
Hugo Cuddigan QC acted for Applicant.