October 08 Thursday CoWI Room A ITU – WIPO Symposium on Dispute Resolution at the Crossroads of Information and Communications Technologies and Intellectual Property OVERVIEW On Thursday, October 8, 2009, the International Telecom-munications Union (ITU) and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center) will co-host a symposium on Dispute Resolution at the Crossroads of Information and Communications Technologies and Intellectual Property in Geneva, Switzerland. The nexus between the world of intellectual property and information and communications technologies (ICT) is tightening. Accelerating advances in technology are placing patent licensing at the forefront of ICT development. Software copyright issues are central to the increasing importance of applications in the world of Internet Protocol, interconnected providers, next generation networks, the open source movement and now cloud computing. The widespread availability of all forms of media on the Internet is raising numerous issues around management of digital copyright. These developments and the multi-jurisdictional nature of telecommunications, particularly the Internet, are making international dispute resolution increasingly important to the ICT sector. The ITU has a long standing interest in dispute resolution in the ICT sector. It has published books and papers on developments in dispute resolution, carried out case studies and provided training courses on dispute resolution and engaged in numerous related activities. The WIPO Center offers alternative dispute resolution options for the resolution of international commercial disputes between private parties. Its procedures are widely recognized as particularly appropriate for a variety of technology and communications related disputes. A growing number of ICT disputes are being referred to the Center for resolution through mediation, arbitration or expert determination. 88