Title: WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

Source/Sponsoring Agency: WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center; World Intellectual Property Organization

URL: http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/

Date Checked: 3/18/2009      Status: Active

Date Annotated: 3/18/2009

Topics: Dispute Resolution; Intellectual Property Law; International Law; Science And Technology

Other keywords: Copyright; Patent; Trademark; Commercial arbitration; Mediation; WIPO

Contents: The Geneva-based WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center serves to provide a global center in which private parties may resolve international commercial disputes through alternative dispute resolution. An independent and impartial part of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Center was developed in 1994 “by leading experts in cross-border dispute settlement” to accept filings of cases involving contractual disputes such as patent and software licenses, trademark agreements, pharmaceutical distribution agreements, and others, in addition to cases involving non-contractual disputes, such as patent or copyright infringement. Parties to these actions hail from around the globe, including primarily Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. The Center’s services include assistance in selection of neutral parties from their database of over 1,500 mediators, arbitrators, and experts. In addition to workshops and online courses, the Center also provides administration facilities, including the WIPO Electronic Case Facility (WIPO ECAF) in which materials generated by cases are filed, stored and retrieved through a web-based electronic docket available to all parties to a dispute from anywhere in the world. Its site states that, “today the Center is recognized as the leading dispute resolution service provider for disputes arising out of the abusive registration and use of Internet domain names.” This assertion is supported by the significant number of cases and publications the Center has listed under the heading entitled “Domain Name Dispute Resolution.” Another Publications link located under the background segment of the Center’s main page also provides access to multiple materials, most of which are available for free, and some of which are available for purchase. They include publications about the Center and its procedures, publications edited by the Center, proceedings of conferences, and general WIPO information. The Resources tab located in the static toolbar at the top of the website provides access to a tremendous volume of material available through WIPO itself, most of which must be purchased. There are several sophisticated search engines which not only locate materials for sale, but also provide Internet access to WIPO’s own library collection of 35,000 monographs and 300 periodicals. Visitors to the site may subscribe to the Center’s online mailing lists to receive dispute decision listings and general updates.

Author of Annotation: A. Emerson