Arbitration clause

An arbitration clause is a clause in a contract that requires the parties to resolve their disputes through an arbitration process. Although such a clause may or may not specify that arbitration occur within a specific jurisdiction, it always binds the parties to a type of resolution outside the courts, and is therefore considered a kind of forum selection clause. In the United States, the federal government has expressed a policy of support of arbitration clauses, because they reduce the burden on court systems to resolve disputes. This support is found in the Federal Arbitration Act, which permits compulsory and binding arbitration, under which parties give up the right to appeal an arbitrator's decision to a court. In Prima Paint Corp. v. Flood & Conklin Mfg. Co., the U.S. Supreme Court established the 'separability principle', under which enforceability of a contract must be challenged in arbitration before any court action, unless the arbitration clause itself has been challenged. Some jurisdictions exclude or restrict the possibility of arbitration for reasons of the protection of weaker members of the public, e.g. consumers. For example, German law excludes disputes over the rental of living space from any form of arbitration, while arbitration agreements with consumers are only considered valid if they are signed, and if the signed document does not bear any other content than the arbitration agreement. Mandatory arbitration clauses are widespread but not universal in the United States. For example, they are used by Amazon.com, 15 of the largest 20 U.S. credit card issuers, and 7 of the 8 largest cell phone companies, and 2 out of 3 major bike sharing companies in Seattle. The American Arbitration Association provides the following template for an arbitration clause: