Legal Costs

Summary

The requester asked for legal costs and correspondence regarding a trademark infringement case against Target Therapies, but the Department for Enterprise responded that no such legal proceedings occurred and the matter was resolved administratively without cost.

Key Facts

• The Department for Enterprise does not hold information on legal costs because no legal proceedings were undertaken.
• The trademark dispute with Target Therapies was resolved in May 2024 via a pre-registration administrative process.
• Target Therapies agreed to amend its logo application, resulting in no additional cost to the Department.
• No correspondence exists between senior officials regarding infringement proceedings as none took place.
• The request was formally closed on 3rd October 2025 with an outcome of 'Information not held'.

Data Disclosed

• 4919645
• 2025-09-08
• 2025-10-03
• February 2024
• May 2024
• 01624 686400

Original Request

Dear Department for Enterprise, Please may you provide me with the total cost incurred by the Department's decision to pursue a legal challenge for trade mark infringement (per Department for Enterprise v Target Therapies). The ruling was found in favour of Target Therapies. Please may this figure be broken down into any separate categories by which you have it recorded (i.e. administrative cost, legal costs). Additionally, please may you provide all correspondence between the interim Chief Officer Andrew Stewart and the interim Chief Executive of the Isle of Man Government Mark Lewin, and Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston to which there is any discussion about, reference to, or the topic of conversation is in relation to Target Therapies and the infringement proceedings. Thank-you.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator 1st Floor, St Georges Court Upper Church Street, Douglas Isle of Man IM1 1EX

Telephone: (01624 686400) Website: https://www.iomdfenterprise.im/

Our ref: 4919645 3rd October 2025

Dear ###

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2015

I write further to your request received 8th September 2025, which states:

"Dear Department for Enterprise,

Please may you provide me with the total cost incurred by the Department's decision to pursue a legal challenge for trade mark infringement (per Department for Enterprise v Target Therapies). The ruling was found in favour of Target Therapies.

Please may this figure be broken down into any separate categories by which you have it recorded (i.e. administrative cost, legal costs).

Additionally, please may you provide all correspondence between the interim Chief Officer Andrew Stewart and the interim Chief Executive of the Isle of Man Government Mark Lewin, and Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston to which there is any discussion about, reference to, or the topic of conversation is in relation to Target Therapies and the infringement proceedings.

Thank-you."

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested.

By way of advice and assistance there was no trade mark infringement, or legal proceedings undertaken in relation to Target Therapies. Following publication of a trademark application by Target Therapies in February 2024 for a logo featuring two T’s, representatives of the Department raised an objection as part of standard practice in protecting trademark registrations.

Subsequently, in May 2024, Trading Therapies agreed to amend its application and restrict its use of the logo and the matter was resolved without any additional cost to the Department.

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The matter was resolved quickly, via a pre-registration administrative process, therefore there is no correspondence between the Interim Chief Officer, Chief Officer (Isle of Man Government) or Minister in respect of infringement proceedings, as there were no such proceedings.

Please quote the reference number 4919645 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date.

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator