We expect arbitration to be a more efficient and speedier disputeresolutionprocess than trying a matter before a jury years down the line in the San Francisco Superior Court.
"It is unfortunate that the New York Attorney General has chosen this route rather than engage in a constructive dialogue through the established disputeresolutionprocess, " spokeswoman Vickee Adams said.
It has not led to a rash of lawsuits: Of the 197 employee complaints since April 1997, 75% have been resolved early in the disputeresolutionprocess -- and no employee has gone to court.
Most notably, a Supreme Court ruling last year strengthened companies' ability to use mandatory arbitration, a dispute-resolution process designed to keep consumer cases out of court.
With growing evidence that the dispute-resolution process is working, ICANN's board will almost certainly approve a plan at the Yokohama meeting to start taking applications for new domains.