Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Search order definition

What does Search order mean? A search order (formerly an Anton Piller order) is a court injunction requiring a respondent to allow the applicant’s solicitors to enter specified premises to search for, copy and preserve evidence, including electronic data, to prevent its concealment or destruction. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, it arises from the court’s inherent jurisdiction and is recognised in CPR 25.1(1)(h) and practice directions (with NI equivalents). It is usually made without notice only where there is an extremely strong prima facie case, serious actual or potential damage, clear evidence the respondent holds relevant material and a real risk of destruction. Execution is...

Search and imaging orders: leading authorities and practical case examples (pre‑April 2025, England and Wales) [Archived]

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Practice notes

ARCHIVED : This Practice Note has been archived.

The framework governing Search orders changed significantly with effect from 6 April 2025—for general guidance on the impact of those amendments, and on the treatment of pre‑April 2025 case law, see Practice Note: Search and imaging orders—making the Application.

Practice Note: Search and imaging orders—guiding principles identifies and explains the five conditions that must be satisfied before a court will grant a search order.

Presented in the table below are the key authorities that established those five conditions, together with a number of cases illustrating how the courts have approached applications for search orders in practice.

The table contains cases that referred to the concept of an imaging order prior to the example form of imaging order being approved and added to CPR PD 25A, Annex B from 6 April 2022.

Case details and analysis
Judgment date
Case summary

King’s Bench Division (Commercial Court) Nix v Emerdata Ltd [2024] EWHC 125 (Comm) 16 January 2024

In this ruling, the judge made an imaging order and pointed to relevant authorities in this area concerning how the courts will address such applications. The judge pointed to authorities...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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