International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Obama/Clinton and Boeing vs. McCain and Airbus

As if the Boeing vs. Airbus controversy on the Air Force tanker deal wasn't political enough already, with Obama and Clinton criticizing the decision to award the contract to a group that includes Airbus, now there's this: Angry Boeing supporters are vowing revenge against Republican presidential

A Compulsory Licensing Complaint?

Whenever I hear about compulsory licensing done pursuant to the TRIPS Agreement and related instruments, I wonder whether IP companies will lobby for a formal complaint against the practice. It is permitted in principle, of course, but there is always the possibility that the applicable rules have not been followed.

A New Kind of Outsourcing

From The Onion (via Greg Mankiw), a new form of outsourcing: (Let me just repeat, for those who didn't catch it, this is from The Onion).

The Zeroing (DS344) Appeal

Recalling Sungjoon's much commented on post here on the panel report in U.S. - Stainless Steel (Mexico), this is from the U.S. oral statement in the appeal of that report: 5. The zeroing reports represent a long-running dispute between the Appellate Body and panels – composed primarily

More of the WTO Gambling Dispute in Domestic Law

The Gambling dispute has been great for opportunities to raise WTO law in domestic law. Here's another example, from the Imega vs. Gonzalez decision, issued this past week by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, which involved a complaint against the Unlawful Internet

Trade in Everything: New Zealand Fashion

I always hear good things about New Zealand and New Zealanders. I didn't realize they were so stylish, though: New Zealand is now home to a vibrant and steadily expanding fashion industry, with some 50 established labels, up from a handful ten years ago, half of which sell

Internet Gambling: Political Developments

Two things worth mentioning on the internet gambling issue. First, here's a Congressional proposal to legalize, regulate and tax internet gambling: US Congressman Jim McDermott has introduced web gambling legislation that would collect billions of dollars in new revenues. A recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates the revenues at

Venezuela to Block Colombian Trade and Investment

At its core, the Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela crisis is more about politics than economics, but we may see a direct impact on trade and investment: Venezuela is starting to block billions of dollars in Colombian imports and investment under orders from President Hugo Chavez , threatening economic havoc in both nations

China - Financial Information Services: The Complaints

The consultations requests in the China - Financial Information Services dispute are now available: EC request and U.S. request. GATS claims (XVI, XVII and XVIII) and China's protocol of accession are the focus, but there is also a TRIPS claim in the EC request. Here's

Tariff Discrimination Against Poor Countries

From Ben Muse: The Progressive Policy Institute points out that: The United States Collects More Tariff Money from Cambodia than from Britain (Trade Fact of the Week, February 20): Some of our highest tariff rates are imposed on goods from some of the poorer countries. "...countries which make cheap