Originally from International Arbitration Law and Practice, Third Edition

Conservatory measures and injunctions are a remedy frequently sought by the party who needs immediate protection and does not wish to wait for that protection until the merits are decided, frequently many months or even years after the commencement of the arbitral proceedings. Their aim is:1

To secure assets, to preserve the subject matter of the dispute, to avoid prejudice to the rights of the parties during the pendency of the proceedings, to preserve the status quo or to enjoin certain conduct pending the outcome of the proceedings themselves.

A conservative measure or injunction may provide protection within the ambit of the right asserted in such proceedings but may not exceed what will be the possible results of those proceedings.

In Yasuda Fire,2 a U.S. Court emphasized that

“the interim relief represents a ‘temporary equitable order’ … calculated to preserve assets … needed to make a potential final award more meaningful.”