Company:eQuibbly

From HandWiki

eQuibbly
TypePrivate
Industry
  • Computer software
  • Online services
FounderLance Soskin
Area served
North America
Key people
Lance Soskin (President)
ProductsOnline Arbitration
Websitehttps://www.equibbly.com

eQuibbly is an online dispute resolution (ODR), offering individuals and companies in the United States Canada , and other countries that are signatories to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. This is a private and legally binding alternative to pursuing litigation in court. eQuibbly was an Online Dispute Resolution service in North America focused exclusively on online arbitration. It ceased operations in 2016.[1]

History

eQuibbly was developed to mitigate the cost of litigation which precludes many low- and middle-income families and individuals from seeking legal redress.[2] According to a Chief Justice of a Supreme Court, "Lack of access to civil justice represents the most significant challenge to our justice system...courtrooms today are filled with litigants who are not represented by counsel, trying to navigate the sometimes complex demands of law and procedure. Others simply give up...Hard hit are average middle-class Canadians...Courts have been promoting various forms of out-of-court mediation and arbitration as a more effective way of achieving settlement and dealing with many civil cases. This is good."[2] eQuibbly founder, Lance Soskin, started up the online service in response to the needs of a friend who could not afford the legal costs associated with her litigation.[3] "You can't go to court for a few hundred dollars," Soskin told CTV News Canada.[4]

At its inception, the service garnered considerable media attention for introducing "crowdvoting" as a way to settle less serious disputes using "the wisdom of the crowds"[5][6][7] as an alternative to litigating in small claims court, by encouraging people on the internet to vote on cases and register their opinions. This, however, was not a legally binding resolution. Since then eQuibbly has discontinued this public form of resolving disputes, as well as mediation. The service now offers only private, legally binding arbitration conducted by former trial judges.[8] The decisions of the arbitrators are enforceable in a court of law.

eQuibbly's logo is a visual metaphor for creating peace through dialog. It features a dove of peace abreast two dialog bubbles.[9]

References

  1. "Online Dispute Resolution Site eQuibbly Shuts Down". https://www.lawsitesblog.com/2016/03/online-dispute-resolution-site-equibbly-shuts-down.html. Retrieved 8 May 2020. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 McLachlin, Beverley. "The Challenges We Face". Supreme Court of Canada. http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/court-cour/judges-juges/spe-dis/bm-2007-03-08-eng.aspx. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  3. Griffiths, Brent (7 December 2012). "Experts split on online alternatives to courtroom proceedings". Daily Iowan. http://dailyiowan.com/2012/12/07/Metro/31224.html. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  4. "Using cyber justice to solve real-world disputes". CTV News. 26 September 2012. http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/using-cyber-justice-to-solve-real-world-disputes-1.972210. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  5. "Move Over Judge Judy, Let Your Social Network Be Your Judge". Yahoo Finance. 28 August 2012. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/move-over-judge-judy-let-130000188.html. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  6. Thomas, Knowlton (28 August 2012). "Canadian Startup Wants Social Media to Resolve Your Disputes". TechVibes. http://www.techvibes.com/blog/canadian-startup-wants-social-media-to-resolve-your-disputes-2012-08-28. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  7. Chown Oved, Marco (16 December 2012). "Online dispute resolution takes off". The Star. https://www.thestar.com/life/technology/2012/12/16/online_dispute_resolution_takes_off.html. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  8. "About Us". Web. eQuibbly.com. https://www.equibbly.com/about_equibbly_online_arbitration. Retrieved 16 April 2014. 
  9. "Synergy: ADR in action/"eQuibbly" Offers Free Online Dispute Resolution". University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration publications. http://www.ipa.udel.edu/crp/synergy/vol11no1/adrinaction.html. Retrieved 17 April 2014. 

External links