The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center and the Hainan High People's Court recently joined forces.

They signed an agreement on March 31 – in Sanya city, in South China's Hainan province – to work together in alternative dispute resolutions, or ADR in the area of intellectual property, or IP.

Under the agreement, the two will combine resources to promote the use of the WIPO's ADR services for resolving IP disputes arising from or related to Hainan Free Trade Port.

The Hainan High People's Court also issued a work method for connecting litigation and mediation with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service – and entrusted it with the first batch of cases.

Lv Guoqiang, head of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service, attended the signing ceremony. He said the agreement would serve the development of the free trade port, by providing efficient and effective dispute resolution methods.

He added that Hainan province was the third province after Shanghai and Fujian to establish a formal cooperative relationship with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Shanghai Service.

The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center is a neutral, international and non-profit dispute resolution institution that offers a range of cost-effective ADR services for resolving domestic or cross-border IP and technology disputes.