Disputes & Resolution in the United Kingdom

Full guide · Source-checked research100% of statements checked against a source145 checked against an official source0 checked against a secondary sourceChecked 2026-10-19Not yet professionally reviewed

• Employees in England, Scotland and Wales usually need 2 years' service to claim unfair dismissal; for dismissals from 1 January 2027 this falls to 6 months for most employees.

  Northern Ireland, where employment law is devolved, usually requires 1 year; GOV.UK does not say whether the 2027 change applies there. Automatically unfair reasons need no qualifying period.GOV.UK · checked 2026-10-18

• From 1 October 2026 the time limit for most employment tribunal claims rose from 3 to 6 months, and from 30 October 2026 employers are under a duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, alongside trade union recognition and access reforms.

  Great Britain. For breach of contract claims in Scotland the longer limit starts on 9 November 2026.Department for Business and Trade · checked 2026-10-18

• The United Kingdom acceded to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards on 24 September 1975, with entry into force on 23 December 1975, and applies it only to awards made in the territory of another contracting state.

  Reciprocity declaration (note a). Extended to several Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, including the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.UNCITRAL (United Nations) · checked 2026-10-18

• The Unified Patent Court is a court common to eighteen EU Member States in which the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court is in force; only EU Member States can ratify or accede to it, so UK patents and UK validations of European patents are litigated in the UK courts.

  Unified Patent Court · checked 2026-10-19

• In England and Wales, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) hears smaller, simpler IP claims not exceeding £500,000, with an IPEC small claims track for claims up to £10,000 on rights such as copyright, trade marks, passing off and unregistered designs; larger claims go to the Patents Court or the General IP List of the High Court.

  The Patents Court covers patents, supplementary protection certificates, registered designs, semiconductor topography and plant varieties; the small claims track does not cover patents or registered designs.Courts and Tribunals Judiciary · checked 2026-10-19

• IPEC is for IP claims where the claimant does not seek more than £60,000 in legal costs or £500,000 in damages; in Scotland complex or valuable IP claims go to the Court of Session, and in Northern Ireland to the Chancery Division of the High Court, without those limits; copyright infringement claims can be brought only through the courts, not the UK IPO.

  Courts generally expect parties to have tried to resolve the dispute first, for example through mediation.Intellectual Property Office (GOV.UK) · checked 2026-10-19

• Unauthorised use of a registered trade mark on goods, with a view to gain or to cause loss, is a criminal offence carrying up to ten years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both on indictment.

  Trade Marks Act 1994 s92. Applies to goods for which the mark is registered, or to marks with a UK reputation; reasonable belief of non-infringement is a defence.legislation.gov.uk · checked 2026-10-19

• When someone infringes IP, the UK government's guidance lists agreeing terms (such as a licence), mediation or other dispute resolution, and legal action as the options, and directs suspected IP crime to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice.

  Intellectual Property Office (GOV.UK) · checked 2026-10-19

Read the full guide: Intellectual property and brand protection · Courts, arbitration, mediation and enforcement