From paras. 117-118 of the the U.S. appellant submission in U.S. - COOL, here are two views of the scope of TBT 2.2.  First, the view the U.S. doesn't like: ... In other words, the Panel finds that because the COOL measure does not contribute

Long-time reader Daniel Vazquez offers some insights on the Mexico-Brazil auto trade dispute discussed by the WSJ a little while back: After reading this article there are several issues that come to mind. First, why did Mexico give up the fight in the first round? It is understood

I feel like I'm in a mid-1990s time warp.  From Xinhua: China's Ministry of Commerce imposed five-year anti-dumping duties of 16.2 to 28.8 percent on photographic paper and paperboard from the United States, the European Union and Japan in a final

Here's former U.S. trade negotiator Clyde Prestowitz writing in the FT: As the director of President Reagan’s strike force against unfair trade, I targeted Airbus subsidies and a variety of Japanese trade barriers. Although we achieved positive results in specific cases, in a broader sense we

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