One of the dispute resolution procedures administered by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center is mediation. Mediation (also known as conciliation) is a procedure in which a neutral intermediary, the mediator, endeavors, at the request of the parties to a dispute, to assist them in reaching a mutually satisfactory settlement of the dispute. The mediator does not have any power to impose a settlement on the parties. Mediation is also voluntary in the sense that either party may, if it so chooses, abandon the mediation at any stage prior to the signing of an agreed settlement.
In addition to mediation, the Center offers mediation followed, in the absence of a settlement, by arbitration. This procedure combines, sequentially, both mediation and arbitration. Where the parties agree to submit to the procedure, they must first endeavor to resolve the dispute through mediation. If a settlement is not reached through mediation within the period of time designated by the parties (either 60 or 90 days are recommended), the dispute may be referred by either party to arbitration for a binding decision.