International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Progress in The Beef Hormones Dispute

A "provisional" agreement has been reached between the U.S. and EU (I'm not sure what Canada's views on all of this are). Sounds like they still have some hard issues to deal with, though. From the USTR press release: The agreement in principle

Seals Dispute Update

Today's developments (so far) in the WTO seals dispute (DS369), with links: » Canada will challenge seal ban to WTO: Day OTTAWA — The federal government will take the European Union to the World Trade Organization to challenge a pending ban on seal products unless the EU exempts Canada because

The WTO Seals Dispute: He Shoots, He Scores?

Or maybe he puts the biscuit in the basket? Two minutes for roughing? I don't know, there must be some hockey term that is relevant here, but I can't quite find the right one. I had been wondering what famous hockey players thought of the Canadian

Taxing U.S. Multinationals Abroad and at Home

From today's headlines: President Barack Obama vowed on Monday to overhaul tax policies that he said reward companies for shifting U.S. jobs overseas and allow wealthy people to evade taxes using offshore accounts. The White House estimated the plan would save $210 billion over the next decade.

China in WTO Dispute Settlement

Forbes did an interesting two part series (actually, there may be more parts coming, I'm not sure) on China in WTO dispute settlement. From part 1: Facing a distressed export sector and rising protectionism amid the global economic crisis, the Chinese government will get more comfortable and aggressive

The Scope of GATT Article XX

From para. 7.498 of the Colombia - Ports of Entry WTO panel decision, circulated Monday: In any cases where a measure may violate a particular provision of the WTO Agreements, a number of exceptions – notably those included in Article XX of the GATT 1994 – allow WTO Members to justify

Another Alcohol Case?

WTO dispute settlement is littered with tax discrimination cases related to alcohol products. This article makes me think another might be on the way: Taiwan consumers welcome the imminent return of rice wine that carries a much lower price tag but provides much better quality and safety. They will soon

The Future of China's IP Protection

A couple months again, Bryan noted that press reports to the contrary, perhaps the U.S. did not actually do very well in the China - IPRs dispute. An Economist article from this week suggests that change may come despite the outcome in that case: Chinese firms are also increasingly

Protection from the Sun

No, not sunscreen. Economist Donald Boudreaux has something else in mind, as he makes the following point to argue against protectionism: So do you, Mr. Protectionist, also believe that Uncle Sam should force us Americans to pay a high tariff on sunlight before we are allowed to use it? After

Tuna-Dolphin Update

A WTO panel was established on Monday in the new tuna-dolphin dispute (DS381). During the meeting, the U.S. had this to say: * Mr. Chairman, the United States is disappointed that Mexico has chosen to move forward with its request for panel establishment a second time. * As we explained at