WIPO ADR Highlights 2025 – Demand for WIPO Out-of-court IP Dispute Resolution Services and WIPO Domain Name Case Filings Reach Record High

The World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO AMC) released the WIPO ADR Highlights 2025 on January 15, 2026.

1. Record Demand for WIPO Out-of-Court IP Dispute Resolution Services

In 2025, the WIPO AMC supported the administration of 1,461 disputes relating to intellectual property (IP), innovation, and technology, marking a 70% increase from 2024. These cases included disputes administered under the WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Rules, as well as disputes under the WIPO Co-Administration Program with IP and Copyright Offices. Together, these results highlight growing engagement with WIPO dispute resolution services.

The IP areas most frequently covered in disputes were copyright and digital content, followed by trademarks, with patents and other commercial matters accounting for the remaining cases. Parties involved in disputes included more than 1,500 SMEs, startups, creators, and innovators. The disputes involved parties from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania, and procedures were conducted in Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Korean, Romanian, and Spanish.

Photo：WIPO

Cases Administered under the WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Rules

In 2025, 410 disputes were administered under the WIPO Mediation, Arbitration and Expert Determination Rules, covering a variety of IP areas, with copyright and digital content (51%), trademarks (31%), and patents (9%) most frequently involved.

The disputes covered a diverse range of business sectors, with a notable concentration in the creative industries, including music, audiovisual and publishing sectors, as well as content-sharing platforms, artificial intelligence, video games, and esports. Other sectors represented included information and communication technology (notably SEP/FRAND and IoT), life sciences (biotechnology and pharmaceuticals), fashion and luxury goods, and research and development-related green technologies.

SMEs, including startups, creators, and innovators, accounted for 59% of the parties in dispute, an 18% increase from 2024. This was followed by large-sized companies (30%), and other entities such as collective management organizations, universities, and R&D centers.

WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Services for National Courts

The WIPO AMC administers cases referred to WIPO Mediation and Arbitration by national courts. Mediation can provide an effective option for cases pending before the courts, particularly where parties are open to settlement or require the expertise of a technical or scientific specialist. To support this, the WIPO AMC collaborates with a number of national and regional courts, notably in China, France, Mexico, Qatar, Spain, Tanzania, and Uzbekistan.

In 2025, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service administered 68 mediations, marking a 42% increase compared to 2024. These international IP cases were referred to WIPO Mediation by the High People’s Courts in Shanghai, Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong, Chongqing, and Sichuan.

WIPO ADR Co-administration Program with IP and Copyright Offices

In 2025, the WIPO AMC supported the administration of 1,046 disputes under the Co-administration Program with IP and Copyright Offices, an 87% increase compared to 2024. WIPO support includes e-filing, case tracking, online hearings, staff training, and ADR guidance to help IP and Copyright Offices manage disputes efficiently.

Collaboration with Member State IP and Copyright Offices

In 2025, the WIPO AMC strengthened its collaboration with Member State IP and Copyright Offices, engaging in a range of initiatives related to ADR for IP and technology disputes. In total, the WIPO AMC now works with more than 90 national IP and Copyright Offices.

2. WIPO Domain Name Case Filings Reach Record High in 2025

In 2025, the WIPO AMC administered 6,282 domain name cases filed by trademark owners, marking a 1.8% increase over 2024 and the busiest year since the start of this WIPO service 25 years ago. Overall, this brings us over 80,000 domain name cases (including over 70,000 gTLD cases, and nearly 10,000 ccTLD cases).

Photo：WIPO