UN backing for mediation plans

The starting pistol in the race to establish a global mediation service for intellectual property disputes was fired last week with the announcement of a United Nations-sponsored scheme.Geneva-based United Nations agency the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is to collaborate with a consortium made up of the world's leading technology companies to establish a dispute resolution mechanism.WIPO's mediation arm already has a reputation for resolving Internet domain name disputes, which attracted the attention of the Application Service Provider Industry Consortium (ASPIC).The move is set to counter the legal risks arising for ASPIC members from different legal regimes and cultures, and language differences.

WIPO is expected to produce guidelines available for voluntary adoption by the companies at the end of the year.Trevor Cook, head of intellectual property at City firm Bird & Bird, said the reason for the success of WIPO's domain name dispute resolution service is that it offers fixed-fee resolution of 'a highly specific and tightly defined type of dispute'.He added: 'I am somewhat sceptical about the value of the new service which it appears will be offered, unless it can offer the same types of benefit.'Jeremy Fleming