In Guatemala, disputes related to copyright and related rights may involve right holders, users of protected works, artists, producers, broadcasting organizations and collective management societies.
To address these types of disputes, the Guatemalan Intellectual Property Registry (RPI), together with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO AMC), implemented a specialized mediation and conciliation service supported by online tools, aimed at offering parties a free, alternative, accessible and collaborative way to resolve their disputes.
The RPI Mediation and Conciliation Center
The RPI Mediation and Conciliation Center provides an institutional space to promote dialogue between the parties and help them explore different solutions and agreements for copyright and related rights disputes. The purpose of this service is to contribute to the amicable, time-efficient and effective resolution of these disputes, without the need to resort to traditional judicial litigation.
The service was designed to be accessible to the user through online tools for case administration and virtual hearings. Through the tools, users can submit their conciliation request through an online form and participate in virtual hearings, without having to travel to the RPI facilities.
These online tools allow the user to initiate the procedure immediately, share information centrally and facilitate coordination between the parties and RPI staff.
Service development and regional outreach
Since its creation, the RPI Mediation and Conciliation Center has contributed to the resolution of more than 60 cases and held more than 30 online hearings. The results have been positive to the point that, in January 2026, the Mediation Center's services were officially extended to the Trademark department.
The Guatemalan experience has also contributed to the regional exchange of knowledge. In May 2026, during the Virtual Mediation and Arbitration Workshop for Intellectual Property and Technology Disputes organized by the WIPO AMC, RPI Registrar Astrid Sosa shared her experience in establishing and developing the service, as well as lessons learned during the administration of many disputes related to copyright and related rights.
The collaboration between RPI and the WIPO Center shows how national offices can adapt ADR mechanisms to their legal frameworks, institutional needs and user communities through digital solutions. With a free, specialized service supported by online tools, Guatemala is making progress in strengthening a practical way to resolve copyright and related rights disputes, contributing to the development of a regional practice of co-administration in intellectual property matters in which technology facilitates access, continuity and efficiency of procedures.
Mediation is a dispute resolution mechanism that represents a new way of bringing Intellectual Property closer to our users in an agile, accessible and collaborative way. Our commitment is that the Registry is not only a space for the protection of rights, but also a facilitator of solutions.
Astrid Sosa
The experience of the Center shows that mediation can be an effective tool to facilitate access to collaborative solutions in the field of Intellectual Property, strengthening the institutional capacity of the Registry and bringing specialized ADR mechanisms closer to users.
César Velásquez
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WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
