It doesn’t matter whether you are a small or large-sized business, not even the most powerful brands in the world can avoid going to court. There may come a time when you are involved in a legal dispute, but taking a case to court can be a very costly endeavour.

Even the business elite cannot escape landing in hot water from time to time, and last year was no exception. Apple and Samsung spent so much money fighting lawsuits that they even surpassed the amount they usually devote on research and development (R&D). (We’re talking billions!)

The technology-based companies weren’t the only ones to lock horns in 2012 though. Many other big-named brands found themselves in court too.

Here are the three biggest legal battles that occurred last year:

• Tesco vs. Spicerhaart

Supermarket brand Tesco found itself going up against UK estate agents Spicerhaart. The chain tried to venture into the property market back in 2008, but was derailed by the Office of Fair Trading. The two brands agreed a development acquisition but the deal soon soured, and now both are trading accusations at one another.

Tesco are demanding repayment for a £3.73 million loan, but Spicerhaart have issued a counterclaim that the store had promised to continue offering marketing support for the rebranded business, iSold. They allege that Tesco has failed to deliver this promise; Tesco refute these claims and the case still continues.

• Paddy Power vs. LOGOC

Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaker, found itself narrowly avoiding a legal battle with the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOGOC) last year. The business launched a controversial billboard campaign in which they claimed they were the ‘official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year.’

Technically this was correct; as they were sponsoring an egg and spoon race in the town London, France. Therefore the company claimed they were not breaching Olympic rules, and when they were threatened with legal action, they kept the campaign running.

The committee eventually backed down. Paddy Power 1, LOGOC 0.

• Apple Inc. vs. Samsung

The technology giants clashed last year and went to court over patents. Apple accused Samsung of infringing six of Apple’s patents, including the iPhone’s physical appearance, as well as the double tap function.

A US jury ruled in favour of Apple’s claims, and Samsung was ordered to pay around £677 million in compensation.

However, that wasn’t enough for the pair and they went to court again over Samsung retaining its sales data. Samsung lost its bid to keep the information private nevertheless, a UK court ruled no breach against the iPad design patent suit and Apple had to pay Samsung’s legal fees.

Apple also had to revise its apology on the firm’s website because the court ruled that the previous attempt was incorrect and untrue.

Which other big-named brands landed in hot legal water last year? As you can see, anyone can end up in court, which can be damaging on your wallet. If you don’t have the funds available, there are viable routes that you can go down such as litigation funding.

This article was written by Lauren Grice on behalf of Vannin Capital, the specialist litigation funding provider. Visit the site today for more information on how litigation funding works, and to find out how it can benefit you.