Fighting Fund

• Campaigns
  • Pay The Creator
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Not a Hobby
  • The AOI’s Stance on AI
  • Fair Terms for Creators
  • Price it Right
  • Keep Your Copyright
• Legislation
• Partner Organisations
• Fighting Fund

The AOI has created a fund which means we can put our money where our mouth is and help members fight back. The fund allows us to support members who use the small claims track of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) to enforce their rights.

The IPEC small claims track is designed to allow claimants to bring a claim without a lawyer representing them. The process is fairly flexible and suitable for claims with a value of up to £10,000. You can read about the court, and how to make a claim here.

We will be able to offer financial and practical guidance through the process.  Please note that this is not legal aid and we do not offer qualified legal advice. Funds that we provide will be repayable if the claim is successful.

If you have a claim please email us with a completed application form.  If we take your claim forward you will need to sign a contract. You must read this before submitting an application.

Fighting Fund Application

Fighting Fund agreement AOI Illustrator

Please note that we are not able to support all claims and the decision to support will be at the sole discretion of the AOI.

Summary of Fighting Fund Conditions

1. The AOI will only support claims which in our opinion will have a reasonable chance of success. This decision will be the AOI’s and will be final.  We will not have to disclose to you how we arrived at this decision or any internal correspondence about this decision.
2. Subject to your entering into a funding agreement, the AOI will fund up to 70% of the claim and hearing fee. This will be repayable should the claim be successful.
3. The illustrator will be liable for any other costs including but not limited to professional legal fees, loss of profit or time or an award of costs payable to the other party incurred as a result of losing the case. The AOI will only be liable to pay the court fee and hearing fee as specified in para 2 in relation to your entering into a funding agreement.
4. The AOI does not offer professional legal advice but practical guidance on steps you need to take to bring your claim to court and follow the court proceedings. It will also provide information as relevant from an industry point of view.
5. The applicant will make their claim in their own name, freely, and takes full responsibility and is liable for any outcome, positive or negative, directly or indirectly related to the claim.
6. The Applicant will undertake all necessary steps to comply with IPEC procedure requirements to ensure the case progresses smoothly and without delay.
7. The applicant must seek to reach an amicable settlement without entering or continuing formal proceedings to the extent this is reasonably possible and be able to demonstrate that they have met IPEC requirements in relation to alternative dispute resolution.

Illustration by The Project Twins