Resolve Without Litigation (RWL) Has Rejuvenated Its ODR Discussion Forum

We first discussed about online dispute resolution (ODR) in 2004 and ironically it was an international platform where we shared our views. That is because in 2004 ODR was not known in India except among a very limited number of people.

We waited up to 2010 and the position remained same. That is the year when PTLB launched a Blog titled Techno Legal Online Dispute Resolution Services outlining our unique and exclusive techno legal ODR services. We managed this service through the website of Perry4Law and simultaneously opened the ODR blog to spread awareness about ODR in India.

In 2012 we launched a dedicated website on online dispute resolution (ODR) in India and since then we have launched many ODR projects each with different objective and purpose. We also launched India’s exclusive ODR discussion forum in 2012 and we have been continuously updating it from time to time. In the latest initiative, we have completely rejuvenated the ODR discussion forum.

However, the moment it was updated and rejuvenated we were flooded with spam accounts. First we disabled self registration process for our forum and made the registration subject to administrator’s approval. But the spam accounts kept on increasing and even if they were subject to our approval they kept on clogging our resources. After much deliberation, we completely disabled registration process and now registration at our forum is based on “invitation” or “request” basis.

We understand that this would make the forum unavailable to general public but we are preparing for the larger event that would make India a hub for institutionalised arbitration and institutionalised ODR destination. We apologise for this inconvenience but we welcome national and international stakeholders working in the field of ODR to register at our forum. They can contact us at this blog or at Twitter handles of @_PTLB, @RWLIndia, @DigitalIndiaLaw, etc.

If you are an ODR expert empanelled at the portal of RWL, you can request for your account registration at ODR forum of RWL while submitting your empanelment application.

To know what type of discussion we would have on the ODR forum, please see the Guide that we have created for our users that they can use to get justice within 2-5 minutes of their time.

As we have a target of making India a hub for international commercial arbitration, institutionalised arbitration, ADR and ODR training, institutionalised ODR leader, etc, we intend to work very seriously and very hard on the forum and other portals. If you are following our tweets at Twitter, you can get all the information that can be really beneficial for you and your organisation.

With this article we are now working to fill the ODR forum with information that would be unique and of tremendous value to national and international stakeholders.

Thanks for your patience and time.

Source: RWL India Blog.

Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) For E-Commerce Disputes In India

 

E-commerce in India  is still in infancy stage. Although many e-commerce companies have tried their luck in India but almost all of them suffer from serious limitations. Indian e-commerce companies lack clear policies and they often force unconstitutional and Orwellian technologies like Aadhaar upon Indian citizens to appease Indian government. We at PTLB Projects have been warning against such unethical behaviour of Indian e-commerce and digital payment industry but they cannot see beyond a limited sphere. As a result most of the entrepreneurship and e-commerce venture ended up sooner than was expected. 

India is not a place to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Even ease of doing business is not the priority of Indian government. There is no culture of a robust, timely and effective dispute resolution mechanism in India. We at Resolve Without Litigation (RWL) have continued our techno legal research and projects regarding ODR that we started in 2004. But even  in 2019, Indian government does not have the techno legal acumen to understand importance and uses of ODR in India. 

This is expected from government but what is not expected and accepted from e-commerce industry is to follow the unethical and illegal demands of Indian government to force illegal technologies like Aadhaar. As Indian e-commerce industry is mostly controlled by either foreign stakeholders or Indian government, there is little that can be expected from it. Obviously, Indian e-commerce companies are also not using ODR for resolution of their disputes as customer satisfaction and dispute resolution is never there priorities. 

But we can expect that foreign e-commerce companies or foreign stakeholders controlling Indian e-commerce industry would be smart enough to use ODR for dispute resolution in India when the industry would consolidate very soon. For such smart e-commerce players, we have launched a dedicated ODR portal that can be used to resolve all e-commerce disputes in India. They can avoid costly and time consuming litigation procedures by simply signing an ODR Clause of RWL. Once the ODR Clause of RWL is incorporated into the terms and conditions of these e-commerce players and other online service providers, all consumer disputes would be resolved by us using our ODR portal. 

National and international stakeholders can get a feel of our platform by using the pro bono portal of RWL. E-commerce companies, banks, digital payment providers, etc can use the pro bono portal for first few disputes and once they are comfortable they can shift to the professional portal of RWL. We do not use Aadhaar and we would never compromise with your privacy, data and other information. So not only stakeholders are saving in terms of money and time but also they have surety that their confidential information would not be misused. 

We are currently receiving many offers for funding and we appreciate all such offers. Other financers who are looking to invest in the ever growing techno legal dispute resolution projects of PTLB are also welcome. 

We are also open to various forms of collaborations with like minded national and international stakeholders. If you have any proposal, please contact us and we would love to have you as a valuable partner. 

Once the May 2019 elections of India are over, we would rejuvenate our ODR projects and would come up with new features and additions that would be beneficial to all stakeholders. 

Online Commercial Arbitration In India

Arbitration is a cost effective and expeditious dispute resolution mechanism. A majority of commercial disputes are resolved through the mode of arbitration. International commercial arbitration has also become an emerging trend these days. Generally, an arbitration clause is incorporated in various contracts and commercial contracts that prescribe resolution of a future dispute through arbitration.

Traditional litigation is not a productive mechanism to resolve disputes as it is costly and time consuming in nature. Thus, there is a gradual shift from litigation to arbitration in commercial matters.

A new aspect has been added to commercial dispute resolution and commercial arbitration by the information and communication technology (ICT). ICT has introduced a novel dispute resolution mechanism known as online dispute resolution (ODR). Although ODR in India has still to keep a pace yet it has been used in developed countries for many purposes, especially for resolving cross border e-commerce disputes.

At Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) we are not only providing training and courses on ODR but are also actively using the same for contractual and commercial disputes resolution in India. In fact, Perry4Law and PTLB have provided the exclusive technology dispute resolution policy of India and ODR policy of India so that ODR may gain popularity and a wider acceptance in India.

PTLB has supplemented its ODR initiatives with other techno legal initiatives. The chief among them are e-courts research and training centre, digital evidencing centre, cyber forensics centre, etc. We hope our initiatives and efforts would be beneficial for the growth of online commercial arbitration in India and world wide.

Online Dispute Resolution Standards Of Practice For India And Asia

Online dispute resolution in India (ODR in India) and Asian countries has yet to pick a pace. There is a lack of awareness about the concept of ODR in general and its use in particular.

At Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) we have already provided technology related dispute resolution policy of India and ODR policy of India that Indian government may consider and use while enacting laws regarding ODR and use of technology in dispute resolution.

Perry4Law and PTLB now wish to provide their suggestions regarding the standards of practice that may act as guidelines for practice across the spectrum of ODR in India and Asian countries.

We believe that ODR may be used for a wide variety of purposes and at various stages of dispute resolution. It may be used even before a dispute arises and may be helpful in removing the doubts and difference that may ultimately become a dispute.

We believe that the standards of practice must be not only “technology neutral” but also free from technical and legal complexities. “Party autonomy” must play the decisive role in the use and adoption of ODR in India and Asian countries. If parties prefer to use ODR for dispute resolution, technical and legal requirements must not come as hurdles.

Further, having multiple laws at international level is not conducive for the use of ODR. There is an urgent need to formulate “international standards” regarding use of ODR. Further, “international harmonisation” of ODR principles is also required.

The ODR system must be easily accessible to the parties to ODR mechanism. Effective use of e-governance and language translation service could help in this regard. ODR must also be easy to use and use friendly. Public awareness in this regard is a must and the same must be accompanied with a good techno legal ODR training of the stakeholders. At Perry4law and PTLB we not only spread awareness about use of ODR but are also providing research, education and training regarding ADR and ODR. We are also engaged in ODR and e-courts skills development in India.

Access to justice becomes a major hurdle while using technological solutions like ODR and e-courts. The marginalised segment of population must be made aware of how to use technology for ODR and e-courts purposes.

ODR mechanisms must be transparent and fair regarding the identities and affiliations of the ODR providers, the identities and affiliations of the interveners and managers of the ODR systems, and the security efforts undertaken by the ODR providers to safeguard user data and identity.

Jurisdictional issues and place of dispute resolution must be clearly specified and conveyed to the parties to the dispute. The ODR clauses in legal and non legal agreements must clearly specify the usage of ODR and a particular ODR service provider or panelist. It is generally claimed that the place where the ODR process occurs is where the ODR platform is.

ODR service providers must disclose their physical location and minimum contact details. Of course, without a “professional relationship” being established, other contact details should not be disclosed to prevent “spam communications”.

ODR panelists and service providers must have good techno legal skills and expertise to engage in ODR dispute resolution. A person or institution possessing both technical and legal knowledge (techno legal skills) is the ideal institution or individual for ODR purposes. ODR platforms must also ensure that in cases of need, expertise of professionals from various fields is available on request.

Bona fide works and efforts of ODR service providers and ODR panelists should be legally and equitably protected under all the jurisdictions of the world. A clause in this regard must be incorporated in the ADR and ODR laws of various countries as well as in the agreement to hire ODR services of an individual or institution dealing in ODR service providing.

ODR service providers must ensure privacy, confidentiality and data security of various details, data, information, etc as required by national, regional and international law.

These are just basic level suggestions and more detailed suggestion and policies would be provided by Perry4Law and PTLB in due course of time. We are also working in the direction of providing an ODR legal framework for India that can be adopted by other Asian countries, with or without modifications.

Techno Legal Assistance By PTLB For Filing GTLD Applications To ICANN

The world of domain name has been significantly changed after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved its long-awaited new gTLD allotments at its Second Public Meeting of the year on 20th June 2011 at Singapore. However, ICANN 41 is much more than just gTLD meeting as many more crucial and related issues would also be discussed.

Meanwhile, it has been finally decided that gTLDs would be issues during the starting of next year. Although the decision has been taken yet there are many challenges that must be successfully met in order to enjoy the benefits of gTLDs. Further, the window of opportunity would be opened for a short period of time hence there is no scope for any mistakes.

The period for applying for gTLDs would starts on January 12, 2012, and will end on April 12, 2012. Applicants must apply within this short period of time that also successfully and without mistakes.

Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) strongly recommend that the trademark owners, brand owners, etc must start getting enough knowledge about the procedure as soon as possible. This way they can formulate their strategies in this regard much before the application period begins.

Since the conditions imposed by ICANN are very stringent, it would be a smart move to constitute a team of techno legal experts who can successfully file the application and get the gTLD registered.

Interested persons or organisations may contact PTLB in this regard for collaborations or partnerships. Further, those interested in obtaining a gTLD may also contact us in this regard, if they deem it necessary.

Technology Dispute Resolution Providers Empanelment In India

Dispute resolution of cross border technology transactions have increased a lot. World over, individuals and organisations are working in the direction of use of online dispute resolution (ODR) for resolution of such technology related disputes.

Although this is good trend in the right direction yet there are no harmonised legal standards for use of ODR at international level. International harmonisation of ODR norms and principles is need of the hour.

In the Indian context we have very limited use of ODR for dispute resolutions. Neither the legal framework of India nor dispute resolution providers of India prefers ODR as a medium of dispute resolution.

At Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB), we have suggested an international dispute resolution policy of India. This policy advocates active use of ODR in India and is the exclusive ODR policy of India.

PTLB is also in talks with national and international organisations to facilitate and encourage use of technology dispute resolutions and ODR in India and world wide. PTLB is looking forward for active national and international collaborations in this regard. Interested national and international organisations may contact us with their proposals in this regard.

Further, arbitrators, lawyers, mediators, conciliators, ODR experts, neutrals, etc that wish to work in association with PTLB may also empanel with it. Interested individuals must meet the prescribed procedure in order to be empanelled with PTLB.

A minimum five years experience in arbitration matters is required to be empanelled with PTLB. The empanelment would be for minimum of one year (1) and maximum of five (5) years. The empanelment may be renewed at the discretion of PTLB and Perry4Law. The requisite Performa for Individuals can be downloaded from “Here”. The Firms, Companies, Institutions, etc can download the Performa from “Here”.

The application form must be accompanies with proper fees in order to be analysed. Perry4Law and PTLB have the sole discretion to accept or reject the empanelment requests. It would be better if applicants seek an opinion of PTLB in this regard well in advance through an e-mail. Kindly do not remit any fees or money till a positive confirmation is given by PTLB for the possible inclusion of the applicant. Applicants are strongly advised to go through the “Empanelment Procedures” before applying.

Legal Standards For Online Dispute Resolution For Cross-Border Electronic Transactions

Online dispute resolution (ODR) is a cost effective and convenient method of dispute resolution. Rather than depending upon the traditional litigation method, ODR provides an alternative and effective dispute resolution mechanism.

Commercial Transactions and Cross Border E-Commerce Transactions can be greatly benefited if disputes arising out of same are redressed through use of ODR rather than traditional courts. Further, dispute resolution of Cross Border Technology Transactions can also be effectively resolved using ODR.

However, there is a need to clarify the categories of Technology, E-Commerce and Cross Border Disputes that might be solved by using ODR, appropriate Procedural Rules for ODR, the possibility or desirability to maintain a single database of ODR Service Providers, and the issue of Enforcement of Awards made through the ODR process under the relevant International Conventions.

Here lies the true problem. Conflict of Laws is the real issue that has to be addressed as different Jurisdictions may have different Legal and Regulatory Frameworks in this regard. International Legal Standards for ODR are still missing. This is preventing International Harmonisation of ODR that is missing till now.

Even United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has not achieved this task so far. This is the main reason why there is no coordination between UNCITRA, ODR and India. International Organisations like World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) must further strengthen its Technology Dispute Resolution Services. Even EU India ODR Development Dialogue must also be initiated by both countries. In fact, EU has already planned to use ODR for Cross Border Consumer Disputes.

In the Indian context, ODR is facing severe Legal Roadblocks in India. We have no dedicated Legal Framework for ODR in India. Even an ODR Policy of India is missing. ODR in Asian Countries is still not popular.

At Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) we have been providing Techno Legal Technology Dispute Resolution Policies and Strategies. We have suggested a Technology Dispute Resolution Policy of India and ODR Policy of India.

We are also in talk with International Organisations and Institutions working in this regard so that Harmonisation of ODR Framework may be possible. We hope our Initiatives would be helpful for the International and National ODR Community.

Dispute Resolution Of Cross Border Technology Transactions

By
Praveen Dalal

Dispute Resolution in Cross Border Technology Transactions is an area that has tremendous potential. There are diverse natures of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related disputes that can be effective solved using Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or Online Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.

However, the crucial question is whether India is ready for Dispute Resolution of Cross Border Technology Transactions and E-Commerce Transactions? I am not talking about use of traditional Litigation Methods for the same. Of course, they are sufficient to resolve these Technology Related Disputes. What I am discussing here is use of ADR and ODR by Individual Panelists and Institutional Arbitration Institutions of India.

The present ODR Regime of India is facing severe Legal Roadblocks. We have neither Legal Framework nor Technical Expertise to engage in high profile and highly technical Technological Disputes. We have no Domain Name Protection Law in India and even Cyber Squatting cases are decided under the Indian Trademark Act, 1999. Even Institutional Arbitration Framework has not been adequately developed by India to resolve such disputes.

Even Domain Name Dispute Resolution in India through ODR is not very popular in the absence of International Harmonisation of ODR Framework. International Harmonisation of ODR is required that is presently governed by different sets of Rules and Procedures.

Just like Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a Standard for resolving Domain Name Disputes, similar Standards and Norms must be established for all Technology Related Disputes resolvable by using ODR mechanism. Institutions like WIPO, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), etc must think and work in this direction. We must also either amend the Indian Trademark Act, 1999 or enact a separate Cyber Squatting Law of India.

With a pro active approach at both National and International Levels, Technology related disputes can be effectively and economically resolved. We at Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) are working in this direction. Collectively, the exclusive E-Courts Training and Consultancy Centre of India manage the issues of ADR, ODR, E-Courts, Domain Name Dispute Resolution in India, etc.

We hope our initiatives would prove useful to all concerned, especially to WIPO and UNCITRAL.

Online Dispute Resolution Got Techno Legal Boost

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is an important method of speedier, economic and effective dispute resolution. Information and communication technology (ICT) has further increased the efficiency and benefits of ADR. Now the newer concepts like Cyber Arbitration, Cyber Mediation, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), etc have emerged. 

Trans border E-Commerce activities and business activities mandate that there must be an effective, timely and suitable ADR and ODR mechanism in place where business have to be established. This correlation of foreign direct investment and ADR and ODR is not only direct but also very remunerative. Absence of effective ADR and ODR mechanism may prove detrimental to the valuable foreign exchange. 

Perry4Law is managing exclusive Techno Legal ADR and ODR Services in India and World wide. Further, Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) is also managing the best techno Legal ADR and ODR Research and Training Centre of India and World wide. The best part is that these ADR and ODR initiatives have been “Integrated” with an allied and very promising field known as E-Courts.

To provide holistic and coordinating activities regarding ADR and ODR, Perry4Law and PTLB have launched the most comprehensive Techno Legal Initiatives of the World. This initiative is combining all the possible aspects of Techno Legal Field at a “Single Platform”.The only requirement that remained was a Blog through which we can share our ideas, projects, initiatives, collaborative activities, etc. With the present platform even this has been achieved.

Persons or institutions interested in having a joint project, sponsorship, partnership, tie up, association, memorandum of understanding (MOU), etc may contact us in this regard.