Two further thoughts on Australia's plain packaging legislation occurred to me. First, what if Australia had simply banned cigarettes?  Are there differences in relation to trademark protection between (1) a product ban and (2) a narrower ban on using trademarks on the product? Second, let's say

There are at least five legal proceedings going on right now related to government regulation of cigarette packaging.  They are based on a variety of different, but sometimes overlapping, legal claims.  It's difficult to characterize some of these claims, but I am going to give it a shot:

... is here: http://www.worldtradelaw.net/cr/ds434-1(cr).pdf Here are the legal claims: Australia's measures, especially viewed in the context of Australia's comprehensive tobacco regulatory regime, appear to be inconsistent with a number of Australia's obligations under the TRIPS Agreement, the

Presumably this is part of the recent push for more trade enforcement: Job Title:Director of Trade Research Department:Executive Office Of The President ... Serves as the Director of Trade Research responsible for developing plans and strategies in support of litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in support

The BBC reports: The European Parliament has backed a deal that will increase EU imports of beef from the US and Canada and help European food exporters. A row over growth hormones used on North American cattle ranches led to a trade war lasting more than 20 years. The new

Bloomberg reports: Ukraine complained at the World Trade Organization over Australia’s decision to prohibit trademarks and logos on tobacco products, saying the ban violates global rules on intellectual property. Australia is the first country to require plain, identical cigarette packaging. As of Dec. 1, 2012, cigarettes there will have

From USTR: United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced today that the United States has prevailed in a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over claims by the European Union (EU) related to The Boeing Company. ... “This decision is a tremendous victory for American manufacturers and workers – and demonstrates the Obama

Via a Scott Lincicome tweet, I see all kinds of possibilities for trade conflict here: The world's biggest goose farm and foie gras factory will soon be established on the banks of Poyang Lake, in China's Jiangxi Province. The American investment company Creek Project is said

From an EU Council decision from last week: The new directive incorporates the current industry practice of not adding sugars to fruit juices. As from the date of application of the new rules (i.e. 18 months after their entry into force), the addition of sugars to fruit juices will

So now that the CVD-NME bill has passed the House and Senate, and presumably will become law soon, I have a question about CVDs and double counting in relation to market economies. As explained here, under the legislation, there is a procedure for how respondents can get AD duties