It's not just rich countries who defend investor-state.  This is from the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry, in the context of the TPP: I. Investor – State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and Sovereignty  * On the issue of ISDS, foreign investors are drawn to Malaysia not only by economic

A couple months ago, I quoted Article 27.1 of the TRIPS Agreement, and then asked: Why shouldn't countries discriminate in relation to patents based on the field of technology?  Aren't some patents more valuable to society than others?  Aren't patents for pharmaceuticals more

I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but seems like maybe it was Samsung. This is from Wind Power Monthly: The green energy deal between Ontario and the South Korean  manufacturer was signed in 2010 but has been subject to a number of  revisions since. The contract has

There are a number of terms in the trade field that bug me because of their lack of clarity.  Different people use terms in different ways, and that makes for an ambiguous public discussion of the issues.  One example of this problem is the term "market access." The

By the way, it turns out some blog comments are being sent to a "comment spam" folder. My apologies if that has happened to you.  A comment I just discovered mentions a 2012 study about consumer opinion on mandatory country of origin labeling, a summary of which is

I feel like there's a trade complaint in here somewhere, but I'm not sure exactly what it is (it probably involves looking closely at GATS commitments): A European effort to bar the use of potentially hazardous ship recyclers in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh has run aground,

Here's an excerpt from a letter by Senator Elizabeth Warren to USTR nominee Mike Froman: While I have no doubt that the President's commitment to openness is genuine, I am concerned about the Administration's record of transparency regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Specifically, I am

I think I can safely assume that everyone has heard about the U.S. government program which uses American internet companies to access the online activities of non-Americans, so I won't get into the details.  Not surprisingly, there have been some concerns expressed by law-makers outside of the

That's the subject of a long-running court battle.  Apparently, during the FTAA talks, USTR wrote a "white paper" in which it offered commentary on the interpretation of the phrase "in like circumstances" in the context of the investment chapter.  The Center for International Environmental

... are posted here: The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to fill the position of Director, Trade and Environment Division. Serving staff members interested in the position are also invited to apply. and here: The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to fill the position of Chief Economist and Director,