Erik G. W. Schäfer

Since 2023 Erik Schäfer is Counsel at BODENHEIMER GbR, a boutique firm established in Berlin/Köln (Germany) specializing in complex national and international dispute resolution. Before, for more than 25 years, he was partner at COHAUSZ & FLORACK, a Düsseldorf IP Boutique with cradle-to-grave services including arbitration and state court litigation. Today his main practice area is acting as arbitrator, preponderantly in matters involving technical and scientific issues. During the late 90ies Erik coordinated the ICC Commission Forum on Information Technology of the ICC Commission on International Arbitration and ADR (Commission). He then was appointed Co-Chair of the Comission’s Task Force on ICT* Technologies in Arbitration that issued two reports over the years until 2017. He was inter alia member of the Commission Task Force on eDisclosure. As early as 2003 he published an article on videoconferences in int. arbitration in the ICC Court Bulletin. He chaired a DIS working group on ICT and Arbitration. Until October 2026 Erik Schäfer has acted in 10 cases als chairperson, in 13 cases as sole arbitrator, and 28 case as co-arbitrator in German and international arbitration procedures (DIS, ICC, VIAC, Danish Institute, Ad-hoc). Erik Schäfer's professional focus are: International private and commercial law, international commercial arbitration & mediation; litigation, contracts (commercial, distribution, joint-ventures, projects); project cooperation; intellectual property and related fields (e.g. technology-transfer; licensing, R&D-contracts, IT-project-agreements, copyright, trademarks & names, unfair competition, registered designs, licensing, transfer of technology, contract law (general), and litigation. Erik Schäfer's publications include: Schäfer „ADR – Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit und Mediation im gewerblichen Rechtsschutz“ Mitteilungen der deutschen Patentanwälte, 2001/3 p. 109s; Schäfer/Verbist/Imhoos „L’arbitrage CCI en practique“, Stämpfli Verlag, 2002; Schäfer "The Use of Arbitration and Mediation for protecting Intellectual Property Rights: A German Perspective", TMR Vol. 94 May-June 2004 N° 3, p. 695-723; Schäfer "Inhaber- und Verwertungsrechte an den Ergebnissen von Entwicklungs-/Forschungskooperationan und Aufträgen" in "Forschungs- und Entwicklungsverträge in Wissenschaft und Technik, Hrsg. Fritz Nicklisch, München 2004, p. 59-67; Schäfer/Verbist/Imhoos „ICC Arbitration in Practice", Kluwer Law International, 2004, 2nd Ed. 2015; Schäfer “Die Behandlung von Streitigkeiten über gewerbliche Schutzrechte in internationalen Schiedsverfahren vor dem Hintergrund divergierender Rechtsordnungen”, DIS-Materials XII (2006), p. 85-103; Schäfer „Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit und Mediation“ in Torggler (Ed.) „Praxishandbuch Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit“, Wien 2007, 9-36; Schäfer „Arbitration of Intellectual Property Law Disputes in Germany“ in Prof. Dr. Karl Heinz Böckstiegel, Dr. Stefan Kröll, Dr. Patricia Nacimiento (Editors)„Arbitration in Germany“ 2007 [2nd ed 2014]; Schäfer „Elección y nombramiento de los árbitros. Desde el punto de vista de las partes“ Revista Peruana de Arbitraje 6/2008, p. 89-99; Nacimiento/Schäfer “Institutionelle Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit in Lateinamerika”, in Paschke et al. (Hrsg.) „Hamburger Handbuch des Exportrechts“ 2009; Schäfer “Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit in IT/IP-Prozessen” in Kilian/Heussen (Ed.) “Computerrechtshandbuch”, Loosleaf N°28/2010, Schäfer “ Informationstechnologie in Schiedsverfahren”, SchiedsVZ Juli/August 2019, p. 195-216; Schäfer ‘Managing Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Issus’ in A. C. Kläsner, M. Magál, J. E. Neuhaus (Ed.) GAR “The Guide to evidence in International Arbitration”, 2021, second edition 10/2023; Schäfer “The Relevance of Artificial Intelligence for Construction Disputes’, in R. Nazzini “Construction Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution” 2022.