The Arbitration Court was established in 1949 and was originally affiliated with the Czechoslovak Chamber of Commerce. In 1980, it was renamed the Arbitration Court at the Czechoslovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and effective January 1, 1995, it took on its current name: the Arbitration Court attached to the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Czech Agrarian Chamber (hereinafter the “Arbitration Court”). Despite these name changes, it remains the same institution that, throughout its existence, has gained significant standing—especially among European arbitration courts—while also enjoying respect worldwide, as it hears disputes involving parties from across the globe.

The Arbitration Court’s strong reputation is built largely upon the work of arbitrators included in its register of arbitrators. Most are leading attorneys, university faculty members, or recognized experts in their respective fields. As of April 2018, 515 Czech and foreign arbitrators were listed. Over the course of several decades, more than 15,000 disputes have been decided by these arbitrators in proceedings before the Arbitration Court. Arbitral awards issued at the conclusion of these proceedings become final and judicially enforceable as of the date they are delivered to the disputing parties. Their broad enforceability worldwide is guaranteed by the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, which today has been ratified by 159 countries, including the Czech Republic. The time required to resolve a dispute in arbitration—and to subsequently enforce an arbitral award in the Czech Republic—is incomparably shorter than the timeline of typical court litigation.

In 2005, the Arbitration Court was authorized to decide disputes over .EU domain names (under the brand ADR.EU), and in 2016 it gained authorization to handle .EU domain names in Cyrillic script. Since the first .EU domain dispute was filed, the Arbitration Court has heard more than 1,500 such cases, which can be conducted in any of the 24 official EU languages. More information is available at eu.adr.eu.

In 2008, the Arbitration Court was accredited by ICANN (the global Internet governing body) to decide disputes concerning generic top-level domains (“gTLDs,” such as .com, .org, .net, .info, and many new gTLDs). Under the UDRP procedure, the Arbitration Court also administers disputes over domains ending in co.nl, co.no, and .sx. All decisions, FAQs, and further information are available at udrp.adr.eu.

Since 2004, the Arbitration Court has also acted as the dispute resolution body for .cz domains, known as the “Administrator” under the current .cz ADR Policy and Rules. Further information can be found at domeny.soud.cz. All domain-name disputes are conducted online via secure, user-friendly platforms, enabling swift handling and resolution.

The Arbitration Court was also the only institution in the Czech Republic authorized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to decide consumer disputes in arbitration under the Ministry’s pilot project on out-of-court consumer dispute resolution (conducted from 2008 to 2010 and later discontinued). After this project ended, the Arbitration Court continued to hear consumer disputes for many years under valid consumer-protection legislation, ensuring fair and equitable proceedings. However, due to an amendment to the Arbitration Act effective December 1, 2016, disputes arising from consumer contracts concluded after December 1, 2016 cannot be resolved before the Arbitration Court. The Arbitration Court does, however, remain available to decide healthcare reimbursement disputes.

Today, the Arbitration Court is a permanent arbitration court with the broadest possible jurisdiction in the Czech Republic, recognized not only domestically but also internationally. This recognition stems from its innovative approach to arbitration, the quality of its arbitral awards, and the high level of expertise demonstrated by its arbitrators.