Next Gen Dispute Resolution, Removing Friction & Increasing Trust in New Ecosystems

Cusp Of Possibilities

With the rapid pace of digitization across sectors and the penetration of internet connectivity & smartphone adoption among the digitally-native young populations, the digital economy is at the cusp of possibilities. This revolution has transformed service delivery across the health, finance, education, governance, and commerce sectors. Digital public infrastructure has paved the way for ecosystem-wide overhauls of incumbent systems. UPI, ONDC, and AA testify to the potential of what lies ahead of us.

What does the rise in digital infrastructure and ecosystems across sectors mean for law and justice? What does dispute resolution look like in an increasingly digital economy? While, on the one hand, our legal system may enable these new ideas, it is also critical for the legal system, particularly the dispute resolution system, to be well-equipped to address disputes efficiently, effectively, and at scale and to foster trust in the digital ecosystem.

Dispute Resolution Is Not Far Behind

Entrepreneurs and changemakers are advancing Online Dispute Resolution – resolving disputes outside of court, using electronic communication technology and legally recognized methods such as mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and reconciliation. ODR activity is prevalent across business, society, and government, largely thanks to a robust service provider ecosystem comprising over 15 ODR service providers and numerous champions. Over 100 enterprises have adopted ODR, over 11 States have conducted their Lok Adalats using ODR Platforms, and over four crore disputes have been boarded onto ODR platforms.

 ODR will continue to grow exponentially due to various factors, including the availability of innovative ODR pathways and their ability to meet the needs of users’ viz cost, trust, access, and category of disputes. These factors converge to show ODR as an adaptive, technology-driven solution for a wide variety of dispute categories, both old and new. Open Network for Digital Commerce and Sahamati Account Aggregator Ecosystem have adopted Online Dispute Resolution too, and are looking to enable integration with multiple ODR service providers to provide users both convenience and choice of which platform they want to resolve their dispute on. 

ODR Digital Infrastructure to Empower Multiple Use Cases

Digital public infrastructure-enabled digital ecosystems are turning towards ODR platforms for seamless dispute resolution solutions. The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and the Account Aggregator (AA) ecosystem have integrated ODR solutions for the participants and the customers. As ODR is becoming a mainstream pathway for dispute resolution, the ODR community has started identifying the underlying digital infrastructure needed to integrate with multiple ODR institutions and empower various use cases across sectors. 

The ODR community is developing a unified ODR Protocol that different institutions and ecosystems can use/adapt to integrate with multiple ODR institutions. This suitable protocol will enable the discovery, assignment, and tracking status of ODR services in a unified manner, and each ODR institution can innovate and focus on the value-added services they’re looking to provide. 

Interested in ODR for AA? Check out the complete SamvAAd Knowledge Session here: 

We thank Keerthana Medarametla, Senior Curator, Agami, for contributing to this blog post.