As discussed in the last post, Australia successfully defended the domestic challenge to its plain packaging laws.  So what are the prospects for the plain packaging complaints at the WTO and under the Australia-Hong Kong BIT?  Some experts weigh in. At Lawyers Weekly, Andrew Mitchell says the WTO claims have

... in domestic court anyway.  From The Guardian: Australia's highest court has endorsed cigarette plain-packaging laws that will force tobacco companies to remove branding from their products. Tobacco companies British American Tobacco, Britain's Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco challenged the laws in Australia's

The Economist has an interesting article about the some Chinese government officials who left the public sector to start a private oil drilling business.  Some key excerpts: It was in 2003 that the central government’s patience snapped. At meetings in the spring, Jingbian officials told the local oil barons

Alberto Alemanno has an interesting post on the relationship of Codex setting food safety standards and WTO law: Although few Europeans outside of the livestock industry have heard about this veterinary drug, the establishment of MRLs of ractopamine by the Codex Alimentarius Commission is set to become not only the

See here: Job Title:Deputy Assistant Legal Adviser Department:Department Of State Job Announcement Number:CSHRM-2012-0022 SALARY RANGE: $119,554.00 to $179,700.00 / Per Year OPEN PERIOD: Friday, August 10, 2012 to Friday, August 24, 2012 SERIES & GRADE: ES-0905-00 POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time - Permanent   DUTY LOCATIONS:

From law prof Jarrod Wong: The Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) will be holding its Second Annual Winter Forum at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami, Florida on January 24-25, 2013. The first half of the Winter Forum will showcase two works-in-progress selected pursuant to a Call-for-Papers, encompassing presentations by authors,

Law professor Leon Trakman writes about China's "prolifering investment treaty program": Notwithstanding China’s endorsement of investor-state arbitration more than a decade ago, only one investor claim has been initiated against it and it was withdrawn.  This does not necessarily mean that foreign investors will not

Here's a letter sent by a number of members of congress -- including frequent trade critic Mike Michaud -- to President Obama relating to the TPP: August 2, 2012 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: Rules-based