Archives: July 2007
Mon Jul 30, 2007
Cybersettle signs 3-year contract with the City of New York
"NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK – July 30, 2007 – Cybersettle, the world leader in accelerated dispute resolution announced today that New York City will extend and expand the use of Cybersettle to resolve a larger number, and greater variety of claims that are filed against the City. The city has signed a three year contract with Cybersettle with an option to extend for two more years. Cybersettle will also be creating a major incident claims system for the New York City Office of the Comptroller where consumers can get immediate information on how to file a claim, download forms and receive general assistance in the aftermath of a major incident like a water main break.
Cybersettle has been helping New York save money and manage claims in a pilot program since 2004. The expanded use of Cybersettle is designed to help streamline the city’s claims system, get people paid faster and to save millions at the same time.
“During our pilot program,” said Charles Brofman, President and CEO of Cybersettle. “Our innovative technology was incredibly successful at resolving claims against New York quickly and efficiently, and we’re excited to see our program with New York grow and expand.” {...}
The program has also been getting positive attention outside the Comptroller’s office. It was cited in the June 2006 issue of Independent Budgeting Office (IBO) of New York City’s Inside the Budget, as a smart cost-saver. And, the winning pilot results Cybersettle produced for New York City were also cited in BusinessWeek, which called the Comptroller’s Office a “Streamlining Pacesetter” for it’s use of Cybersettle."
For more information on this initiative, contact Cassel Kroll at cassel@lexicommgroup.com.
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Sat Jul 28, 2007
RespectPledge.org Launched
As was previously reported on this blog, a statement was adopted unanimously in April 2007 by all attendants of the 5th International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution in Liverpool calling for more respectful online communication.
To support this statement, the National Center on Technology and Dispute Resolution at UMass-Amherst has launched a new website, http://RespectPledge.org, which offers a Respectful Communication Pledge to which you can add your name.
This site is still in beta, but we encourage you to visit and add your name to the pledge if you feel so moved.
Please report any problems you encounter to crule at ebay.com.
Thanks!
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Thu Jul 26, 2007
US Court of Appeals Rules on Cybersettle/NAF Patent Case
From Cybersettle's Press Release, Wednesday July 25, 3:49 pm ET:
"Cybersettle Announces That the US Court of Appeals Has Upheld the Application of the Company's Patent
Defendant National Arbitration Forum Directed to Submit to the District Court on the Issue of Infringement
WHITE PLAINS, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Jul 25, 2007 -- Charles Brofman, President and CEO of Cybersettle, Inc., the world leader in accelerated dispute resolution, with its automated, online, double-blind, dispute resolution system, today applauded an appeals court ruling which he said "upheld the validity and application of a key Cybersettle patent."
In the case of Cybersettle, Inc. vs. National Arbitration Forum, Inc. [2007-1092], the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a decision dated July 24, 2007, upheld US Patent No. 6,330,551 and directed that National Arbitration Forum submit to further proceedings in the District Court on the issue of its infringement. The Court held that the asserted claims of the "551 Patent" cover the submission of more than one offer and demand, and that the first round of bids can be compared and tested before the receipt of a second pair of bids." <more>
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OECD press release
OECD countries have agreed a new approach to better protect the rights of consumers and make online shopping safer. They call on national authorities and business to make it easier, cheaper and quicker for people to resolve complaints and get compensation when they are unhappy with goods or services they have bought.
The OECD Recommendation on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/50/38960101.pdf
offers a roadmap for consumer protection agencies to address the practical and legal obstacles that many consumers face when trying to exchange goods or get their money back from firms, in their own country or abroad.
The full press release is
here.
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Wed Jul 25, 2007
Preventing and Managing International Commercial Disputes
In 2005, the European Commission sponsored a three-year project dedicated to facilitating foreign investment and international trade, across the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, through the promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the 10 MEDA countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and West Bank & Gaza). As the concluding event of this project, a final conference will convene in Rome, Italy on September 28th and 29th.
This conference will be a unique opportunity for members of the international business and legal community to join together with politicians and government officials. Representatives from the 27 EU member states will participate alongside representatives from the 10 MEDA countries. During the first day of the conference mediation, arbitration, and other ADR issues will be discussed by field experts in tailored sessions. This will be followed by a half day dedicated to the pertinent issues in business and trade regarding ADR. Official findings will be presented at the end of the final day.
All tracks from day 1 and 2 will be video recorded and made available on the project’s web site www.adrmeda.org
Conference Venue: Roma Eventi - Piazza di Spagna, Via Alibert 5A - 00187 Rome, ITALY
For more information, visit the conference overview page.
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Wed Jul 18, 2007
Former Israeli Army Officer Designs 'Peace' Game
From National Public Radio's Morning Edition, July 18, 2007:
"INSKEEP: Unlike some other computer games, Peacemaker is not about killing as many enemies as you can. It's not about that, though you certainly have the option. You become one of the leaders in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr. BURAK: It's a one-player game so you actually play kind of against the computer. The computer tries to simulate the environment.
INSKEEP: Okay.
Mr. BURAK: But the interesting idea about Peacemaker is that you can play both sides, and they're very different, because as you can imagine, the Israelis have different resources than the Palestinians. And even their goals and agenda, you know, are very different..."
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Mon Jul 16, 2007
OECD urges government and industry to overhaul consumer protection for Internet and other shoppers
"16/07/2007 - OECD countries have agreed a new approach to better protect the rights of consumers and make online shopping safer. They call on national authorities and business to make it easier, cheaper and quicker for people to resolve complaints and get compensation when they are unhappy with goods or services they have bought.
The OECD Recommendation on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress offers a roadmap for consumer protection agencies to address the practical and legal obstacles that many consumers face when trying to exchange goods or get their money back from firms, in their own country or abroad.
Most OECD countries already have laws or self-regulated schemes to help consumers, ranging from small claims courts to credit card protection and collective action lawsuits. But most of these were designed before e-commerce took off and are poorly suited to handling cross-border complaints. The Recommendation advises countries on steps they should take to update their laws to take into account these new developments.
It also calls on member countries to develop bi-lateral or multi-lateral arrangements in order to improve international judicial co-operation and use technology more effectively, making it easier to share information across borders.
In addition to a framework that details the basic elements necessary to an effective consumer dispute resolution and redress mechanism, it highlights the need for countries, both at a government level and via consumer protection agencies, to tell consumers who to approach when they have a problem and what they can do to resolve it. Companies should also set out clear, simple policies that explain what steps customers should follow to make a complaint and then have it resolved.
Consumers should also have the right to band together to take legal action against a firm, known as “collective action lawsuits.” This is important because in most European countries even if consumers have the right to take collective action in principle, there are so many restrictions that in practice they cannot. This means that their only option is take a firm to court on their own, which is usually too expensive for most people to even consider.
The Recommendation builds on a substantial body of OECD work carried out over the past decade on consumer policy issues. These include the
1999 OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce, the 2003 OECD Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive Commercial Practices Across Borders and a 2005 Report on Consumer Dispute Resolution and Redress in the Global Marketplace.
See the full text of the Recommendation. For further information, journalists are invited to contact Peter Avery, OECD's Science, Technology and Industry Directorate (+ 33. 1. 45. 24. 93. 63)."
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Fri Jul 06, 2007
Building Trust Online
InternetBar.org Contest: Building Trust Online
Goals:
* Shape an online justice system for the world and reduce global poverty.
* Create a virtual global community dedicated to building trustworthiness into the Internet.
* As a community, promote fairness and equality for all within this online justice system, including bringing its benefits (such as a foundation for commerce) to under-served parts of the world.
http://www.internetbarcontest.org/
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