Originally from AAA/ICDR Handbook on International Arbitration Practice

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Most parties to arbitration assume that the private nature of the process will ensure that the evidence, the proceedings and the award will be kept private and confidential and that sensitive or embarrassing records and activities will not be subjected to public view. Many parties select arbitration as a dispute resolution process precisely to secure privacy and confidentiality.

Parties to a commercial arbitration would be surprised to learn that the assumption of confidentiality may not always be valid. Over the past decade, authors have directed much attention to the debate over the principle of confidentiality in both domestic and international arbitration. While courts in some countries have recognized an implied duty of confidentiality, recent case law developments in other countries have not and they protect confidential information only when the circumstances require.

This chapter examines the current state of the law relating to confidentiality and the steps that may be taken to secure as much confidentiality as the law will permit.