Law Commons^™

Case Update: German Compuserve Director Acquitted On Appeal, Lothar Determann

UC Law SF International Law Review

This update to an earlier article by Dr. Determann reviews the recent acquittal of Felix Somm. The article discusses the case against the backdrop of German internet law. This update also discusses a new European Community directive aimed at regulating electronic commerce.

Minority Protections And Bilateral Agreements: An Effective Mechanism, Elizabeth F. Defeis

UC Law SF International Law Review

Following the breakup of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, attention focused on developing international norms, agreements and regimes for effective minority protection. Under the auspices of United Nations and regional organizations, multilateral and bilateral treaties and declarations have been adopted. These documents recognize that diverse initiatives are necessary to reduce ethnic conflict and encourage States to implement appropriate initiatives. Reliance upon bilateral agreements is particularly encouraged in those situations involving protection of minorities in a situation where ethnic minorities reside in States adjacent to or near their country of nationality as a result of change of boarders or the …

Noncompete Covenants In Japanese Employment Contracts: Recent Developments, Miwako Ogawa

UC Law SF International Law Review

Like employers in the United States, employers in Japan seek to prevent their former employees from competing with them by using noncompete covenants. As Japan's work force and employment system become more diverse, individualized and laterally mobile, noncompete provisions are appearing before the Japanese courts with increasing frequency.

The Japanese courts' approach to noncompete clauses is to scrutinize their "reasonableness" by balancing the competing interests of the employer in protecting its business goals and the employee in preserving his right to freedom of occupation. However, the notion of "reasonableness" has been elusive, causing the Japanese courts to struggle with application …

We've Only Just Begun: The Law Of Sexual Harassment In Japan, Ryuichi Yamakawa

UC Law SF International Law Review

Discussions about sexual harassment in Japan first began a decade ago. However, Japan's Equal Employment Opportunity Law did not directly address sexual harassment until it was amended in 1997. Instead, Japanese courts responded with a jurisprudence that has distinctive characteristics regarding the nature of liability for sexual harassment. First, Japanese courts created a doctrine that sexual harassment constitutes a tort because it infringes on women's "personal rights" or on her rights to the dignity of her personality regarding sexuality. Second, Japanese courts held employers liable for sexual harassment by supervisory employees of subordinates. The 1997 amendment to the Equal Employment …

Prospects For Local Competition In Telecommunications: A Comparison Of The Chilean And American Approaches To Regulatory Reform, Melissa Sampson Mcmorrow

UC Law SF International Law Review

For decades, most nations provided telecommunications services through regulated monopolies or by stale-owned entities. Many nations, including Latin American countries, provided such services through state-owned industries for various reasons. Technological advancements and regulatory reform have dismantled the old guard systems and have ushered in a new era in telecommunications. Latin American countries are going through a dual process of privatization and liberalization. Chile led the region in this effort in the late 1970s. Chile also led the world in creating a competitive market for telecommunications. Its legal framework has opened all markets-long distance, advanced, and local-to competition to varying extents. …

Global Trade And The New Millennium: Defining The Scope Of Intellectual Property Protection Of Plant Genetic Resources And Traditional Knowledge In India, Meetali Jain

UC Law SF International Law Review

As a signatory to the global Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights treaty (TRIPS), India is obligated to develop national legislation that conforms to the international standards of intellectual property rights protection by January 1, 2000. India now faces the option of either acceding to the requirements of TRIPS or accepting various penalties, including sanctions, from the international community.

This Note focuses on the protection of one type of property, namely plant genetic resources. The case of India provides fertile ground for an examination of the clash between notions of global intellectual property rights and notions of national and local sovereignty over …

The Extraterritorial Reach Of The U.S. Government's Campaign Against International Bribery, H. Lowell Brown

UC Law SF International Law Review

Recent initiatives by the Securities Exchange Commission, acting under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and by the Organization of American States and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have highlighted efforts to "level the playing field" of international commerce through the prohibition of government bribery. For U.S. companies, these developments are generally positive. However, foreign entities in which U.S. companies have an interest may now find themselves subject to criminal and civil liability for commercial practices which were formerly beyond the reach of the FCPA and tolerated in their own countries. Accordingly, for U.S. companies doing business internationally …

The Common Law In South Africa: Pro Apartheid Or Pro Democracy, Jeremy Sarkin

UC Law SF International Law Review

The role of the common law in South Africa has been controversial. Some argue that South Africa's common law, inherited from Roman-Dutch and English law, has a problematic colonial tradition that has done little to protect justice and equality. Others argue that if not for parliamentary security legislation, South Africa's common law could have protected rights and freedoms.

This article examines several apartheid-era cases in which the common law protection of individual rights was at stake to determine whether the common law was human rights friendly, or if it was compatible with the constitutional dispensation of human rights abuses. It …

The Joint-Stock Cooperative Enterprise: A New Independent Legal Entity In China, Minkang Gu

UC Law SF International Law Review

The joint stock cooperative enterprise (JSCE) is a new form of enterprise organization in China that is particularly well suited to Chinese ideological and economic characteristics. The JSCE utilizes certain features of a shareholding system, which can be independent from the government and have clearly defined property and ownership rights-basic elements routinely assumed in the corporate law of western countries, but still new in a country constitutionally committed to Marxist-Leninist principles.

This article introduces the concept and legal nature of the JSCE. It analyzes the concept of a legal person and the distinctions between the JSCE and other business forms, …

Disabled Meanings: A Comparison Of The Definitions Of Disability In The British Disability Discrimination Act Of 1995 And The Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990, Nick Wenbourne

UC Law SF International Law Review

The British Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) marks an important turning point in the history of disability civil rights in Great Britain. The DDA was the first legislation in Europe to specifically acknowledge that disabled people suffer from discrimination in a number of fields and public services including employment, education and transportation. However, people across the political spectrum have criticized the DDA.

This note compares the DDA with its United States counterpart, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and radical legislation of its kind in the world. This note pays particular attention to …

The Quest For Justice And Reconciliation: The International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda And The Ethiopian High Court, Yacob Haile-Mariam

UC Law SF International Law Review

About fifty years have gone by since international humanitarian law was first applied to the proseculion and punishment of war criminals. Just a few years ago, the international humanitarian law most law students learned about was couched within public international law, often studied without any serious intention of ever applying it. Recent prosecutions of war criminals in former Yugoslavia, the presence of genocide suspects in Rwanda and the impending establishment of the Permanent International Criminal Tribunal by the United Nations have revived interest in international humanitarian law, with particular interest in genocide and crimes against humanity.

This article compares the …

Will The Bang Mean Big Changes To Japanese Financial Laws, Jessica C. Wiley

UC Law SF International Law Review

In response to both domestic and international pressure, the Japanese government began a series of reforms designed to deregulate their financial market in 1998. The reform plan is modeled after the British and U.S. deregulation measures often-termed "Big Bang" reforms. The essence of Japan's Big Bang is the end of highly segmented financial markets in favor of a single market where domestic and foreign banks, securities houses, insurance companies and other financial institutions will be free to compete in each other's business specialties.

The recent amendments to the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law are an example of Japanese Big …

The Effect Of International Court Of Justice Decisions On Municipal Courts In The United States: Breard V. Greene, Sanja Djajic

UC Law SF International Law Review

The relationship between international and municipal law is complex and continually developing. One way to analyze this issue is to observe the interaction between domestic courts and the International Court of Justice. These two types of courts may entertain identical claims.

This article analyzes whether there is any correlation between the two types of courts, and the character of this correlation if there is one. Through an examination of Breard v. Greene, this article will examine the attitudes of United States courts toward the enforceability and the legally binding character of International Court of Justice decisions. This article will also …

Intellectual Property And Antitrust: A Comparison Of Evolution In The European Union And United States, Sara M. Biggers, Richard A. Mann, Barry S. Roberts

UC Law SF International Law Review

Transactions involving the transfer of intellectual property rights give rise to antitrust issues, potentially implicating the involvement of the enforcement bodies of the European Union (EU) and United States. While changing market dynamics resulting from innovation and globalization impact antitrust enforcement, the movement toward "decentralization" of antitrust enforcement represents yet another trend that causes uncertainty in both the EU and U.S. antitrust policies. In this context, one of the most notable aspects of evolving antitrust policy is that of cooperation between the enforcement agencies in the EU and the United States.

This Article explores the key legislative and policy developments …

With A Broad Brush: The Federal Regulation Of Sanctions Against Burma (Myanmar), James Finch, David Schmahmann, Particia Bailey

UC Law SF International Law Review

On April 21, 1998, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department issued regulations to implement the Executive Order that applied sanctions against Myanmar. With certain exceptions, the Regulations prohibit new investment by U.S. individuals or companies in Myanmar. This Essay explains and analyzes the reach of the Regulations and their potential ramifications.

Sweating The International Garment Industy: A Critique Of The Presidential Task Force's Workplace Codes Of Conduct And Monitoring System, Heidi S. Bloomfield

UC Law SF International Law Review

Like employers in the United States, employers in Japan seek to prevent their former employees from competing with them by using noncompete covenants. As Japan's work force and employment system become more diverse, individualized and laterally mobile, noncompete provisions are appearing before the Japanese courts with increasing frequency.

The Japanese courts' approach to noncompete clauses is to scrutinize their "reasonableness" by balancing the competing interests of the employer in protecting its business goals and the employee in preserving his right to freedom of occupation. However, the notion of "reasonableness" has been elusive, causing the Japanese courts to struggle with application …

The International Monetary Fund: Is It The Right Or Wrong Prescription For Korea, Ellen J. Shin

UC Law SF International Law Review

Since emerging as a war torn country in 1953, Korea has become a major economic contender in the international market. By 1997, Korea had achieved success as the world's eleventh largest economy. That success was cut short by the "Asian financial crisis" of late 1997, which greatly affected the Korean economy. Caused by the unraveling of the diversified, family-owned conglomerates known as chaebol, which collapsed under billions of dollars in bank loans, Korea sought to restore its economic ascendancy with an IMF bailout. The resulting IMF austerity program has received much criticism, focused primarily on the fact that the traditional …

Religion And State In Israel: The Case For Reevaluation And Constitutional Entrenchment, Gidon Sapir

UC Law SF International Law Review

From the establishment of the State of Israel until very recently, the issue of religion and state was handled in Israel according to the doctrine of status quo. As a result, matters of religion and state have changed little from the time the State of Israel was established. Underlying the status quo-viewed as an informal "gag rule"-was the perception that it served as a necessary condition for the emergence, maintenance and stability of democracy in Israel. Yet on many occasions over the past several years, once latent disagreements over matters of religion and state have become a major source of …

Efficiency And Equal Protection In The New European Contract Law: Mandatory, Default And Enforcement Rules, Ugo Mattei

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Retooling American Discovery For The Twenty-First Century: Toward A New World Order?, Richard L. Marcus

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.