Given the high costs of litigation that can take its toll not only financially but also emotionally, alternative dispute resolution such as mediation is seen increasingly as a “first stop” that if successful can prevent the need to commence litigation, thus significantly lower associated costs.
With the WIPO-ASEAN Mediation Programme (AMP+), mediation for ASEAN nationals or entities involved in intellectual property or technology disputes just got more attractive with WIPO providing basic funding of up to SGD 3,000 per mediation case. Should a Singapore-based mediator be appointed, the intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) will provide further funding of up to SGD 2,000. The same funding is also available to facilitate contract negotiations where parties have encountered difficulty in agreeing on contractual terms.
To take advantage of the funding, interested parties must request for WIPO mediation and AMP+ funding from now till before 31 December 2025. AMP+ funding will be available during this period
or until AMP+ fund is drawn down.
We do note that funding for some programs seem to be decreasing overtime so any new program or any additional funding will benefit regional parties who wish to mediate rather than fight it out.
Thanks for Lianghsu Huang for this post.
For more information on the IPOS website see here.
