Alternative Dispute Resolution
The ADRS offers mediation, conciliation, assisted negotiation and expert determination, which may be used in combination with one another or separately.

Operating under the auspices of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Service (ADRS) acts as a modern IP dispute resolution hub offering a full spectrum of ADR tools to businesses and individuals active in the EU and, as the case may be, beyond. The ADRS offers mediation, conciliation, assisted negotiation and expert determination, which may be used in combination with one another or separately.
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, all these ADR services are now offered online and, for the benefit of SMEs only, have been extended to cover proceedings before the Opposition, Cancellation and Invalidity Divisions of the EUIPO (ADR SME special service).
In a nutshell, ADR services are directed at:
- all parties involved in inter partes proceedings before the Boards of Appeal and in addition
- exclusively to SMEs involved in inter partes proceedings before the Office in first instance opposition, cancellation and/or RCD invalidity proceedings under the ADR SME special service.
ADR processes carried out within the EUIPO incur no additional fee for the parties, are run fully remotely and can be offered in 12 languages of the European Union
Benefits
The Alternative Dispute Resolution services have been introduced by the Boards of Appeal to better serve companies and SMEs, and to offer them more choices in effectively resolving their disputes. ADR is attractive because EU IP litigation can be time-consuming, unpredictable and costly. The costs are not just in the professional fees needed to litigate effectively but also extend to the management time diverted to administering any such ongoing legal proceedings – time that could have been devoted to profitable commercial pursuits. Moreover, IP is particularly prone to cross-border disputes for which global solutions are necessary but for which traditional litigation simply encourages battles on multiple fronts.
The ADR tools that we offer to assist disputants in the quest for swift, financially savvy, global settlements that offer predictable legal certainty.
Types of ADR services offered
The ADRS offers the services below, which can be used in combination with one another or separately, according to the needs of the interested parties.
Mediation | Show |
Conciliation | Show |
Assisted Negotiation | Show |
Expert Determination | Show |
Model ADR contractual clauses
The ADRS provides model ADR contractual clauses to facilitate party agreement to settle potential disputes amicably.
Parties wishing to refer to EUIPO ADR are encouraged to include an appropriate ADR clause into any commercial contract in connection with IP rights. This allows contracting parties to agree that, in case any future dispute arises, they will use an alternative form of dispute resolution (such as mediation) as a step prior to court proceedings.
The recommended clauses have been drafted with the support of the ADR Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB), reflecting best practices for mediation and other dispute resolution modalities.
You can download the model contractual clauses here
ADR Networks
As part of the efforts to promote the services offered, several networks have been established with groups that play an active, participative and advisory role in the initiatives the ADRS intends to take.
Stakeholders Advisory Board (SAB) | Show |
Chambers of Commerce | Show |
Network of IP Judges of the EUTM and RCD Courts on mediation | Show |
Take the ADR pledge
The ADRS has drafted ADR Mediation Pledges designed for different addressees: user associations, business associations, companies and law firms.
The idea is that pledgees seek to encourage the use of mediation and other ADR mechanisms whenever possible with a view to reducing the negative consequences of disputes involving IP.
Therefore, the pledge is essentially a statement of intent on the part of the pledgee to explore and consider, whenever appropriate, use of mediation or other ADR mechanisms before pursuing other dispute resolution processes.
EUIPO ADR Pledge for IP disputes for Law Firms
EUIPO ADR Pledge for IP disputes for Companies
EUIPO ADR Pledge for IP disputes for Business Associations
EUIPO ADR Pledge for IP disputes for User Associations
Contact us
Are you considering ADR? Do you have questions? Contact us for more information about the ADR services offered by the EUIPO Boards of Appeal.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Service
ADR-Info@euipo.europa.eu