Subproject 5 - Pilot Project with the Office de la protection du consommateur du Québec (OPC)

Start – 2018 | End – 2021 Duration – 3 years

Since the fall of 2016, the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) support platform developed by the Cyberjustice Laboratory (PARLe) has been providing consumers and merchants in Québec with a fast and free service to resolve disputes between them. Important lessons should be learned from this experience in order to understand the key factors of the rate of out-of-court settlement of disputes and to analyse the data from the perspective of the consumer, the merchant, the mediator, the Laboratory’s registry and the Consumer Protection Office of Québec.

Sub-project chief
Jean François-Roberge

Research activities

Case study

The case study will empirically assess PARLe  ODR platform’s potential to provide users with a sense of access to justice. This platform is currently being used at the Office de la protection du  consommateur (OPC) of Québec.

Inventories

The first inventory includes an overview of ODR platforms  worldwide and an analysis of their potential for users in terms of enhancing their  knowledge and their capacity for predictability.

The second inventory is an overview and empirical analysis of ODR platforms worldwide.

The third inventory lists frameworks, empirical studies and tools for measuring access to justice around the world.

Best Practice Guide

The working group will develop a best practice guide that explores the potential of ODR platforms in helping users access legal information, assess dispute resolution options and predict outcomes based on precedents and court decisions. The guide will also recommend ODR procedures based on the findings of empirical studies and promising technological options in the current ODR marketplace to provide access to justice from a user-centric perspective.

Governance Framework

The previous research activities will lead to the creation of a framework model to design an optimal ODR platform with the aim to provide access to justice from a user-centric perspective, maximize their interest and enhance their ability to deal with disputes fairly and efficiently.