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Simon Lester

Simon Lester

Co-founder of WorldTradeLaw.net and China Trade Monitor. Non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute.

http://simonlester.com

The WTO Seals Litigation: The PR Battle

WTO litigation is not all about legal arguments: The [Canadian] federal government is opening a new front in its decades-old clash with anti-sealing groups, shifting the battlefield from ice floes to the Internet. Concerned that seal protests timed for the Vancouver Winter Olympics may further bloody the country&

Trade Law and ISP Filtering

News from Chile, related to U.S. - Chile FTA rules on copyright protection: The Chilean House of Reps has formally rejected the latest attempt Chilean President Michele Bachelet to “reform” that country’s copyright laws to include ISP-level content filtering. Pres Bacehlet had argued that it’s necessary in

Pessimistic and Optimistic Views of the State of Free Trade

David Rothkopf declares free trade one of the decade's "losers": Globalists and free traders: Remember back during those Clinton days when we loved the world, NAFTA, the WTO, and cutting trade deals with everyone? You don't remember? You had nothing to do with that?

Trade in Everything: Love Boat Edition

From the Palm Beach Post: About a dozen senior members of the crew of the beleaguered Palm Beach Princess [cruise ship] were fired Saturday, ... ... The crew is mostly made up of foreign nationals who have work visas that do not allow them on U.S. soil. Those fired were escorted

"NAFTA Claus"

I'm not sure that cheap, plastic toys are the best illustration of the benefits of free trade, but, as this article suggests, it is one of the reasons people support it: As I usually opt to give the kids books and clothing, the toy prices surprised me. I

Would Venezuela Nationalize a Toyota Factory?

It's a bit hard to believe, but news reports say it's possible: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered an investigation of Toyota Motor Corp., saying the world’s largest carmaker “can leave” should it fail to meet production quotas and technology-transfer laws. Toyota has refused to

The Rise of China and the Future of Trade Remedies

From Reuters: China on Wednesday slapped anti-dumping duties on imports of carbon steel fasteners from the European Union, just a day after the EU extended import duties on shoes from China and Vietnam.This reminds me of what recently took place after the U.S. imposed safeguards on Chinese

IEL Faculty Position (in Paris)

At the Science Po School of Law: Sciences Po's School of Law is seeking to recruit a full professor in "international economic law" for a public‐sector teaching position. The successful applicant will be required to teach in the School of Law and the Sciences Po

The AB in China - Publications: GATT Article XX Can Apply Outside the Context of Claims under the GATT

I'm going to have to take a look at this more closely to figure out all the implications, but the AB said the following in today's China - Publications decision: 215. ... We note that the question of whether the introductory clause of paragraph 5.1 allows China

The Line Between Discriminatory Measures and Non-Discriminatory Measures that Affect Trade

I want to go back to the Staiger/Sykes paper on Intenational Trade and Domestic Regulation that I mentioned a little while ago. At the end of the paper, they present a hypothetical set of facts, based (somewhat) on the EC - Hormones case, which I think provides a good illustration