{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/restrictive-practices-court-rules-1976/article-5",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/restrictive-practices-court-rules-1976/article-5.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1976/1897",
  "legislation_title": "The Restrictive Practices Court Rules 1976",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/restrictive-practices-court-rules-1976",
  "path": "article/5",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "5",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "(1) Where, in the case of proceedings to which rule 3 applies, several persons have a common interest in the proceedings by reason that they are all parties to the same agreement or have entered into substantially similar agreements, the Director may, in accordance with paragraph (2), nominate any of those persons (or any association of which any of those persons is a member, whether or not it is itself a party to any such agreement) to represent all or some of them and, subject to rules 6 and 9, those persons shall, for the purpose of the proceedings, be treated as being represented by the person so nominated (hereinafter called a “representative respondent”).\n(2) In any case such as is mentioned in paragraph (1), the Director shall, after issue but before service of the notice of reference—\n(a) give to each person nominated as a representative respondent notice in writing that he is so nominated, including short particulars of the notice of reference and identifying the persons, or classes of persons, whom it is proposed he shall represent, together with a copy of any statement the Director may propose to have published in pursuance of sub-paragraph (c) below; and\n(b) in so far as may be practicable, give to all, or to all other, parties to the agreement written notice of the action taken under sub-paragraph (a) above; and\n(c) unless he is satisfied that such notice has been given to all such parties, cause a statement containing the particulars referred to in sub-paragraph (a) above (including the name and address of each representative respondent) and setting out the effect of rule 6, to be published in—\n(i) the London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes, and\n(ii) at least one daily newspaper circulating throughout the United Kingdom, and\n(iii) if there is in circulation an appropriate trade journal which is published at intervals not exceeding one month, in such a trade journal; and\n(d) file with the proper officer of the Court an affidavit setting out the names of the persons to whom, and the dates on which, he has given written notice in accordance with sub-paragraphs (a) and (b), together with an extract containing any publication made in accordance with sub-paragraph (c) above.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1976/1897/article/5",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:16:29.395092+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}