The German Arbitration Institute (DIS) has extensive experience in the administration of arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
In addition to the administration of commercial arbitration under the DIS Arbitration Rules 2018 and alternative dispute resolution proceedings, the DIS administers commercial disputes between small and medium-sized enterprises in cooperation with the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs).
The DIS also administers dispute resolution proceedings for the sports industry and disputes under the German Packaging Act.
Furthermore, the DIS offers rules that combine the advantages of both institutional arbitration and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
We administer arbitration proceedings under the DIS Arbitration Rules 2018 as well as other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures.
The current DIS Arbitration Rules 2018 are available for the settlement of disputes internationally and domestically, across all regions and industry sectors.
DIS has successfully administered the resolution of thousands of commercial disputes between companies.
Cooperation between the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the DIS has a long history. From the end of the Second World War, the DIHK oversaw the management of the DAS (a predecessor of the DIS) until the DIS was founded in 1992.
Today, we continue to work together with the IHK organization.
Many IHKs refer in their Arbitration Rules to the DIS Arbitration Rules. Accordingly, arbitration proceedings can be filed with the respective IHKs, but are administered by the DIS Case Management Team.
Since 1 January 2008, the DIS has hosted the German Court of Arbitration for Sport. The German Court of Arbitration for Sport is the result of a joint initiative of the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the DIS. The DIS Sport Arbitration Rules (DIS-SportSchO) were specifically developed for the settlement of disputes relating to sport, such as disputes relating to breaches of anti-doping rules, disputes arising in the context of sports events, transfer disputes, disputes in respect of licencing and sponsoring agreements, as well as disputes arising from membership in a sports club or association, etc.
The German Packaging Act (VerpackungsG), which entered into force on 1 January 2019, applies to all companies (distributors, including online retailers) who put packaging into commercial circulation on the German market for the first time and which ends up as packaging waste with the consumers.
The German Packaging Act provides for a tendering procedure for this packaging, although no public authorities are involved. If an unsuccessful bidder wishes to challenge a decision, it can initiate a DIS arbitration proceeding. The German Packaging Act provides for an expedited DIS arbitration proceeding for primary legal protection under public procurement law.
Important information on how to file an application to commence a DIS arbitration pursuant to the German Packaging Act can be found in the Practice Notes (in German).
Companies value the arbitration rules offered by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
The UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules essentially provide for a non-institutional form of arbitration. In practice, UNCITRAL encourages arbitral institutions and other interested bodies to offer administrative services in order to facilitate arbitral proceedings conducted under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
With the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules – Administered by the DIS, we provide a set of rules which ensure that parties can fully benefit from the advantages of both institutional arbitration and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Amendments to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules have only been made to allow the DIS to administer the arbitral proceedings. Accordingly, companies familiar with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules can rely on their application and at the same time benefit from an experienced arbitral institution administering their proceeding.