How to Use the WIPO Electronic Case Facility (ECAF)
The WIPO Electronic Case Facility (ECAF) aims to facilitate the conduct of cases under the WIPO Mediation, Arbitration, Expedited Arbitration and Expert Determination Rules by offering the following functions:
When using WIPO ECAF, each function is accessible by clicking on the title of the function on the yellow banner at the top of the web page. Set out below is an explanation of each such function. The screen shots included in these demonstration pages may be scrolled down for a full view. (All links from the demonstration screens have been disabled.)
Communications into the Docket Listing and into the Message Board are directly submitted by the actors in the WIPO case. Information made available on the Case Overview, Contact Information, Time Tracking and Finance Overview pages is entered and updated by the Center. While the Center will undertake its best efforts to ensure that such information is accurate and up-to-date, parties are advised to verify at all times that the data conform to the information provided in party filings. In the event of any discrepancies, parties should contact the WIPO case manager.
Under the applicable WIPO Rules, the Center as administering authority maintains confidentiality with regard to WIPO cases.
In terms of the security of this facility, every time a party accesses WIPO ECAF, the party will be authenticated through its username, password and a changing passcode delivered by RSA SecurID card, a hand-held device that furnishes changing passcodes. All information stored in WIPO ECAF is firewall protected and encrypted by using the modern Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
For further questions regarding WIPO ECAF, please contact the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center by telephone at +41 22 338 8247, by fax at +41 22 740 3700 or by email at arbiter.mail@wipo.int.
1. Case Overview
The Case Overview page provides at-a-glance basic information about the WIPO case, principally case status (e.g. pending or terminated), type of dispute clause / submission agreement, governing law and place of arbitration (where applicable), and upcoming action in the case.
The Contact Information page provides contact information with regard to all actors in the WIPO case. Any changes of such information, including communication particulars, must forthwith be provided to the Center, so that it may update this page accordingly.
The Time Tracking page tracks the principal dates in the WIPO case. This is intended to offer informal assistance to all case actors. Given the critical importance of deadlines in a case, parties are advised to independently ascertain their particular submission obligations.
The Docket Listing page allows all case actors to electronically submit case communications. Such submissions may be in different common formats, such as Word, PDF, Excel or JPG. All actors may also view and search any communication so submitted at any time during the WIPO case.
In order to submit a new communication, click on "Submit New File" on the right hand corner.
The following page will open.
- a. Choose a title that is as descriptive as possible (e.g. "Claimant's Reply to Response") and insert in the "Subject" field. This title may be different from the actual (normally shorter) file name for the communication to be submitted.
- b. Click on the "Browse" button and select the file to be uploaded from your directories. This will insert the file name in the field "File to Submit". The file to be uploaded may be in different formats, such as Word, Excel, PDF, JPG, etc.
- c. Click on "Proceed".
Instead, if the file has not been selected correctly or if the actor does not wish to proceed with submitting any communication, click on "Cancel".
Documents (files) which consist of several elements (e.g. a pleading in Word with PDF exhibits) should each be submitted separately as new files. - d. If you have clicked on "Proceed", the screen should now show the following page, which will indicate the subject title of the communication and the file name.
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- e. The submitter may double-check the communication being submitted by clicking on "Preview this file". The communication will appear in a new window.
- f. If the communication has indeed been correctly selected, click on "Confirm".
If the communication has not been selected correctly or if the actor does not wish to proceed with submitting any communication, click on "Cancel". - g. Once a communication is successfully submitted, a programmed notification will be sent by e-mail to all registered actors in the case, principally the parties, neutral(s) (if appointed) and the Center. The following example shows the information the e-mail contains.
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- h. The communication submitted will appear in the Docket Listing as shown below.
Parties may also have a need to make a filing in hardcopy. In such event, all actors, including the Center, may still want to use the Docket to record the fact itself of making (or receiving) such hardcopy submissions.
Only communications to be recorded as part of the casefile should be submitted in the Docket. Communications not intended to form part of the casefile, such as out-of-office messages, should be submitted in the Message Board.
To search and sort in the Docket Listing
The communications submitted are searchable and sortable on (1) submitting actor, (2) date, and (3) subject title.
To search, click on "Search Docket". To sort, click on the relevant column header. If necessary, searches inside a submitted document may be made by creating an electronic copy of the submission and applying searches using the actor's software.
The Finance Overview page provides an informal tool to review the case fees due and received. All case payments will also normally be the subject of separate communication in the case.
Messages that are not intended to be part of the case record may be posted in the Message Board. Submissions intended to be part of the formal case file should instead be uploaded in the Docket Listing.
It should be noted that any messages posted through the Message Board will be accessible to all actors using WIPO ECAF.
In order to post a message click on the "Post New Message" on the right hand corner.
A new page will open.
- a. Choose a title that is as descriptive as possible (e.g. "Proposed Dates re: Preparatory Meeting") and enter in the "Subject" field.
- b. Enter the contents of the message in "Message to post" field.
- c. Click on "Post Message".
- d. Once a message is successfully posted, a programmed notification will be sent by e-mail to all registered actors in the case, principally the parties, neutral(s) (if appointed) and the Center.
- e. The message posted will also appear in the Message Board as shown below.
The posted messages are sortable by (a) submitting actor, (b) message title, and (c) posted date, by clicking on the relevant column header.
