Somewhat predictably, Global Trade Watch is going nuts about this decision.  Todd Tucker actually tweeted: "The #WTO paves the way for kids smoking cola ciggies and dying from lung cancer." I understand the role of rhetoric in achieving policy goals, so I don't take most of

Like the Cloves Panel report, the Cloves AB report has crucial lessons for national treatment more broadly.  Two stand out. 1. “Likeness” in all its variations is now about competition, not content or purpose: But who decides? Already in Philippines – Spirits, the AB recently confirmed that also “likeness” under GATT

Over at Global Trade Watch's blog, Todd Tucker cites the paragraph I quoted in the last post (see the paragraph before as well), and says: the AB ... comes pretty damn close to stating that “the design, architecture, revealing structure, operation, and application of” the FSPTCA was intended to

There are some interesting aspects to the Appellate Body's legal reasoning on "less favorable treatment" in Cloves.  Ultimately, though, the AB's decision to uphold the Panel's finding of violation probably came down to skepticism over the regulatory distinction between clove and menthol

Here's another paragraph I like from the Cloves AB report: 193. Once the imported and domestic like products have been properly identified, Article 2.1 requires a panel dealing with a national treatment claim to compare, on the one hand, the treatment accorded under the technical regulation at

It's out:  http://www.worldtradelaw.net/reports/wtoab/us-clovecigarettes(ab).pdf After a quick skim, it seems that the Appellate Body has upheld the panel's finding of violation of TBT Article 2.1, under modified reasoning. Regular readers of this blog will not be surprised

The U.S. Article 21.5 panel request in EC - Aircraft is here.  A key issue will be subsidies to the Airbus A350, a new model.  Recall that the panel excluded these subsidies from the original dispute: 7.314 Thus, in conclusion, after carefully reviewing the evidence and arguments advanced

Last week, President Obama announced that he would suspend Argentina's GSP benefits, due to an alleged failure to enforce two arbitration awards: Having considered the factors set forth in section 502(b)(2)(E) of the 1974 Act, I have determined pursuant to section 502(d) that it

From a recent NY Times article about WTO financial services rules: Back in the 1990s, when many in Washington — and virtually everyone on Wall Street — embraced the deregulation that helped lead to the recent crisis, a vast majority of W.T.O. nations made varying commitments to what’s called

Here are some dates for those waiting for the Appellate Body to explain key provisions of the TBT Agreement: - The Clove Cigarettes report will be circulated on schedule by April 4. - The Appellate Body will need a little more than the usual 90 days in the Tuna-Dolphin case, with