• Course description

This course will study the legal framework governing international economic relations and global business. Students will gain an understanding of why and how national and international institutions regulate world trade.   Particular attention will be paid to the evolution of international trade regulation and the pressures on existing regulatory concepts and principles. Topics will include WTO, the protection of intellectual property, the promotion of international services transactions, and the stability of international currency markets.

• Course Materials

• Student Writing Exercises

During the week of November 11, each student will be assigned a topic and asked to prepare an annotated bibliography of between five and ten Internet sites with pertinent primary source materials. The bibliographies will be circulated to the class.

• Office Hours

• Grading

• Readings

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE REGULATION Week 1 (Aug. 26 , 28 )

WTO, The Ten Benefits: Peace , Disputes , Rules , Cost of Living , Choice , Incomes , Growth and Jobs , Efficiency , Lobbying , Good Government

Roger A. McCain, Essential Principles of Economics, Chapter 21: International Trade-- The Theory of Comparative Advantage

The US Trade Representative (Browse)
US Commerce Dept., I.T.A . (Browse)
European Commission DG Trade (Browse)
 
 

FROM THE BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM TO THE WTO   Week 2 (Sept. 4 ) (Note-- Labor Day Holiday on Monday)

WTO, The multilateral trading system—past, present and future
WTO, The Organization
WTO, The WTO Agreements
WTO, Developing Countries

IMF, What is the IMF (Aug. 2001) read through the section "Origins"
World Bank, What is the World Bank? At a Glance (Oct. 2001)

International Monetary Fund
The World Bank

TRADE IN GOODS

    Tariffs, Quotas and WTO   Week 3 (Sept. 9 , 11 )

           GATT 47 -- only read the following sections
               Article II Schedule of Concessions
                       Article XXVIIIbis  Tarriff Negotiations
                       Article XI  General Elimination of Quantative Restrictions
                       Article XX General Exceptions
                       Article XXI Security Exceptions

               Joel P Trachtman,  European Communities--Customs Classification of Certain Computer
           Equipment , 19 Eur. J. Int'l L. 551 (1998)

            European Communities--Customs Classification of Certain Computer
           Equipment, AB-1998-2, WT/DS62, 67, 68/AB/R (98-2271) (only read  Paragraphs 1, 2, 11, 64, 80-83 and
                  88-99)

                Joel P. Trachtman, United States--Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp
           Products, 10 Eur. J. Int'l L. 192 (1999)
 
 

    MFN and National Treatment  Week 4 (Sept. 18 , 20 ) (Note-- Yom Kippur Holiday on Monday)

           GATT 47 -- only read the following sections:
            Article I    General Most Favored Nation Treatment
                    Article III  National Treatment on Internal Taxation and Regulation
                    Article XII Restrictions to Safeguard the Balance of Payments
                    Article XIII Non-discriminatory Administration of Quantitative restrictions
                    Article XIV  Exceptions to the Rule of Non-discrimination

            Sept. 20-- PLEASE NOTE CLASS WILL MEET (Jury service ended early)
           Serena B. Wille, Recapturing a Lost Opportunity , 9 Eur.J.Int'l L.  182 (1998)
            WTO Appellate Body Report:  Japan-Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages         AB-1996-2, WT/DS8/AB/R, WT/DS10/AB/R,
           WT/DS11/AB/R, Adopted by Dispute Settlement Body, 4 October 1996

    FTA and CU Derogations  Week 5 (Sept. 23 , 25 )
           GATT Article XXIV as amended by Ad Article XXIV and WTO Understanding
           GATS Article V

            WTO, Regionalism       Scope of RTAs
            Australian Dept. For. Affairs & Trade, The impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on Australia's Trade and Investment (March 2000)
            Australian Dept. For. Affairs & Trade, The impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on Australia's Trade and Investment (March 2000)
 

    Trade Negotiation Exercise  Week 6 (Sept. 30, Oct. 2)

           Sept. 30:  Research balance of trade, major industries and major trading partners of your Team's country
                            Possibily useful reference sites:

World Trade Organization
International Monetary Fund
The World Bank
ASEAN
The US Trade Representative (Browse)
US Commerce Dept., I.T.A . (Browse)
European Commission DG Trade (Browse)

    Dumping, Subsidies, Safeguards and Countervailing Duties Week 7 (Oct. 7 , 9)

            WTO, Anti-dumping, subsidies, safeguards: contingencies, etc
           GATT Article VI

            WTO, Agreement on Safeguards
           GATT Article XIX
                 Skim: WTO Agreement on Safeguards

                     Optional:  WTO Agreement on the Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994
                                      WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

            Oct. 9:

           Eur. Communties-Anti-Dumping Duties on Imports of Cotton-Type Bed Linen from India ,
           AB 2000-13, WT/DS141/AB/R  (read pages 12-27 and cited sections of the Anti-Dumping Agreement )
           US

          US Int'l Trade Comm., Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Laws Under the Tariff Act of 1930
          US Int'l Trade Comm. Canned Pineapple Fruit Fruit from Thailand , Investigations Nos. 731-TA-706 (Review)
           (Publication No. 3417, May 2001)
 
 

TRADE IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY  Week 8 (Oct. 15 , 16 )  (Note-- Columbus Day Holiday on Monday)

WIPO, FAQ on Patents
WIPO, FAQ on Copyrights
WIPO, FAQ on Trademarks
WIPO, Geographical indications
WTO, Overview: The TRIPS Agreement
WTO, Other intellectual property conventions incorporated by reference into the TRIPS Agreement
 

WTO Doha Ministerial Declaration WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1 (20 Nov. 2001) Read Paragraphs # 17-19
WTO, Doha Ministerial Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health WT/MIN(01)/DEC/2 (20 Nov. 2001)
 UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Integrating Intellectual Property Rights and Development Polic y  read pp. 8-30
 

Optional

WTO, FAQ about TRIPS

Reference

TRIPS Agreement

TRADE IN SERVICES  Week 9 (Oct. 21 , 23 )
 

WTO, Services: Rules for Growth and Investment
USTR, WTO Services Trade Negotiation
GATS (skim)
WTO, History of Telecommunications Negotiations
WTO, Results of the Basic Telecommunications Negotiations
Canadian Environmental Law Association,   GATS Negotiations Concerning Domestic Regulations Under GATS Art. VI(4) ,  Report No. 397, Nov. 2001
EU, Summary Of The EC's Initial Requests To Third Countries In The GATS Negotiations(1 July 2002)

 TRADE IN INFORMATION  Week 10 (Oct. 28 , 30 )
 GATS Annex on Telecommunications (read Art. 5:d)
 EU Directive 95/46/EC       (skim all, read Arts. 25-26)
EU Working Party, Transfers of personal data to third countries : Applying Articles 25 and 26 of the EU data protection directive
US Dept. of Commerce, Safe Harbor Overview

Joel R. Reidenberg, Ecommerce and Trans-Atlantic Privacy , 38 HOUSTON L. REV. 717 (2001)
European Commission Staff Working Paper SEC 2002/196 (13 Feb. 2002)
 

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT/TRADE SANCTIONS     Week 11 (Nov. 4 , 6 )

WTO, Settling Disputes--
The WTO's 'most individual contribution'
Panel Process Chart
Case Study (Venezuela)
Case Study (Tuna Dolphin Dispute)
 

US Trade Sanctions
USTR Special 301 Statutory Requirements
USTR Executive Summary 2002 Special 301 Report
USTR Announces Procedures for Modifying Measures in EC Beef and Bananas Cases (May 26, 2000)
EU Beef Hormones (July 19, 1999)

Optional
    USTR, Dispute Settlement Update (July 16, 2002)
 

INTERNET BIBLIOGRAPHY WRITING EXERCISE    Week 12 (Nov. 11, 12)

For Monday, Nov. 11, read and think about Question from 1998 exam
 

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE     Week 13 (Nov. 18, 20)

   IMF, How does the IMF Lend
   IMF, Quotasand Quota Reviews (Aug. 2002)
   IMF, General Arrangements to Borrow (Nov. 2002)
Ezequiel Burgo and Heather Stewart, IMF policies 'led to Malawi famine' , The Guardian (Oct. 29, 2002)

BBC News, IMF Denies telling Malawi to sell food , May 29, 2002

WTO, Investment measures: reducing trade distortions
WTO, Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures (skim)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Investment Guarantee Guide
MIGA Convention (skim Chapt. III only-- art. 11-24)
 

GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES      Week 14 & 15 (Nov. 25, Dec. 2)  (Note--Thanksgiving Holiday)

Oxfam-Great Britain. " Institutional Reform of the WTO ." Oxfam-GB and Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development, March 2000
Patricia Ranald, Seminar on Alternatives to the WTO Agenda (Nov. 10, 2002)
Aileen Kwa,  Power and Politics in the WTO , Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network (Nov. 10, 2002)

Reports on WTO Meetings
    Uncommon Ground, MoJo News Wire (Dec. 2, 1999)
    Sam Vincent Medis,  Digital Activism in Seattle, USA Today (Dec. 7, 1999)
    James Cox, WTO Meeting shrinks amid attack fears, feuds, USA Today (Nov. 7, 2001)
Optional
    www.gatt.org
    Protest.net
    Andrew Rose, Do we really know that the WTO increases trade?,
         CEPR Working Paper DP3538 (Sept. 2002) power   point summary
 
COURSE REVIEW   Week 15  (Dec. 4)
 

date last modified: Dec. 2, 2002