The Competition Appeal Tribunal Rules 2015

Acknowledgment, service and notification

33.—(1) On receiving a claim the Registrar shall send an acknowledgment of receipt to the claimant and, except where paragraph (2) applies, shall direct that the claimant or its representative serve the claim form on the defendant.

(2) Where service of the claim form outside the jurisdiction requires the permission of the Tribunal in accordance with rule 31, the claim form shall be served on the defendant only if permission is granted.

(3) The Registrar’s direction for service under paragraph (1) may specify any matter the Registrar may consider appropriate with regard to the service of the claim form, including—

(a) the time within and the method by which service of the claim form is to be effected;

(b) the documents that are to accompany the claim form, including an acknowledgment of service in the form required by the Tribunal;

(c) the information to be provided to the Registrar by the claimant concerning the date of service and the calculation of the time limit for acknowledging service and filing a defence;

(d) the provision of any other information that may be required by the Registrar (whether by way of certificate of service verified by a statement of truth, witness statement or otherwise) regarding the service of the claim form; and

(e) the time within which any information required by the Registrar is to be provided.

(4) The defendant shall within seven days of receipt of the copy of the claim form file an acknowledgment of service of the claim in the form required by the Tribunal.

(5) Where the claim form is served on a foreign defendant, the period for acknowledging service set out in paragraph (4) is varied so as to accord with the period applicable under Part 6 of the CPR in relation to proceedings in England and Wales or the equivalent provisions in the equivalent procedural rules for Scotland or Northern Ireland in relation to proceedings taking place in Scotland or Northern Ireland respectively.

(6) The Registrar shall, as soon as practicable, notify the claimant of the receipt of an acknowledgment of service from a defendant.

(7) The claimant shall send a copy of the claim form to the CMA at the same time as it is served on the other parties to the claim.

(8) The Registrar shall publish a summary of the claim on the Tribunal website and in any other manner the President may direct.