Ideal Postcodes wins High Court database rights ruling

The High Court of England and Wales has ruled in favour of IDDQD's Ideal Postcodes brand in its claim against Codeberry Limited, trading as GetAddress.io, and its director Lee Paul Smith. The court found the defendants breached Ideal Postcodes' terms and infringed its database rights.

From 2015, Mr Smith downloaded a substantial part of the Ideal Postcodes address database and used it, without authorisation, to build and market a competing product while avoiding licensing fees. The court held that the infringement was "deliberate, reckless or couldn't care less", entitling Ideal Postcodes to additional damages beyond what is ordinarily awarded.

The judgment validates the database rights behind the group's UK address data and the licensing process that upholds the rights of upstream providers, including Royal Mail and Ordnance Survey.

"This ruling provides essential market clarity. It underscores the critical importance of trust and transparency, and the need for a provider that understands and respects data licensing," said Christopher Blanchard, founder of Ideal Postcodes.

The full judgment is available as a PDF. For the detailed account, see the Ideal Postcodes announcement.