Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

For years, various "public policy" arguments precluded the arbitration of many kinds of disputes under U.S. law. This is generally no longer true with respect to claims arising under the federal antitrust and securities laws, at least in the international context. Neither Congress (except in the case of patents) nor the Supreme Court, however, has directly addressed the issue of the arbitrability of intellectual property disputes. Although a long line of case law does not conclusively resolve this issue, the author submits that the rationale of those cases cannot survive the recent Supreme Court decision in Shearson/American Express, Inc. v. McMahon.