WIPO and Singapore Partner in the Field of Alternative Dispute Resolution

28 JUL 2009

28 Jul 2009 Posted in Press releases

wipo-minlaw-signing-ceremony

WIPO Director General Dr Francis Gurry and Law Minister K Shanmugam exchanging the signing folders

  1. An agreement signed by Dr. Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and Mr. K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, has paved the way for the establishment of the Singapore Office of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center), which will officially open in January 2010.

  2. The Singapore Office of the WIPO Center, located at Maxwell Chambers - Singapore’s international dispute resolution centre - will focus on promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services in the Asia Pacific Region. As the only WIPO Center in the region, it will provide training and advice on procedures such as arbitration, mediation and expert determination, and will administer and facilitate hearings in cases conducted under the WIPO Rules in Singapore. The Singapore Office of the WIPO Center aims to cater to regional needs and to make WIPO’s experience and expertise in intellectual property ADR more accessible in the Asia Pacific Region.

  3. Mr. Shanmugam said: “Singapore is honoured to be chosen as the location for the WIPO Center in the Asia Pacific Region. The expansion of WIPO’s presence here bears testimony to Singapore’s commitment to the protection of intellectual assets and our support of WIPO’s efforts to develop the international IP regime. WIPO’s decision to set up its WIPO Center office in Maxwell Chambers, a dedicated facility for international dispute resolution, augments our efforts to develop Singapore as a venue of choice for international arbitration and mediation in Asia.”

  4. Dr. Gurry thanked the Government of Singapore for supporting this initiative, which he said would offer companies and other actors in the region a cost-effective dispute resolution option and help boost the availability of fully trained professionals to effectively deliver ADR services throughout the region. He said: “ADR is an important cost-saving alternative to traditional litigation and a means of finding constructive and workable solutions to the often complex, cross-border intellectual property-related disputes that can arise in a wide range of fields. We are pleased to extend our expertise to the service of parties in Singapore and the Asia Pacific Region.”

  5. WIPO and Singapore are further cooperating in the establishment of an international WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Scheme for Film Related Disputes (WIPO Film ADR Scheme), which will be developed by the WIPO Center in collaboration with Singapore’s Media Development Authority, a statutory board under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, that promotes and regulates the country’s media sector. The development of the WIPO Film ADR Scheme is an example of the WIPO Center’s efforts to build tailored dispute resolution schemes for recurrent disputes arising in a specific industry sector or involving a particular subject matter. Other such ADR schemes were, for example, developed for certain copyright and domain name disputes.

  6. A memorandum of understanding, signed by Dr. Gurry and Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, will provide the basis for the development of the WIPO Film ADR Scheme, which is expected to launch in Singapore in late 2009.

  7. Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew said: “The media sector is a vital component of the creative industries that Singapore has embraced as a key engine of growth. Anchoring the WIPO Film ADR Scheme in Singapore therefore strengthens our positioning as an intellectual property and arbitration hub. This will dovetail with our efforts to achieve a conducive environment for the creation, anchoring and exploitation of media assets and intellectual property.”

  8. Dr. Gurry said: “WIPO’s expertise in arbitration and mediation will be applied to the specific needs of the film sector which is enjoying strong growth, especially in the Asia Pacific Region. While this expansion brings many commercial opportunities, there is also a greater risk of conflict between commercial partners. For parties involved in such disputes, mechanisms, such as arbitration and mediation, offer a cost-efficient and often more rapid and advantageous alternative to traditional litigation.” He added: “We look forward to working with the Singapore Media Development Authority on this project.”

Last updated on 26 Nov 2012