Are there alternatives to litigation in court?

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures, such as arbitration and mediation procedures, are increasingly recognized as offering an effective alternative to court litigation for resolving intellectual property disputes. The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center provides ADR services for the resolution of commercial disputes involving intellectual property. Of course, notwithstanding its many advantages, ADR does not offer a complete alternative to court litigation; there are circumstances in which court litigation will be preferable.

A set of information on ADR, its advantages and drawbacks, and the services of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, is contained in a recent WIPO publication " Dispute Resolution for the 21 ^st Century " [ PDF].