Law Commons^™

Virtual Intermediaries Ii - Canadian Solutions (Drop Shipments) Compared With Us, Japanese & Eu Approaches, Richard Thompson Ainsworth

Faculty Scholarship

Virtual travel agents are opportunistic internet-based travel agents. They are intermediary businesses that create mutually beneficial three-party transactions that secure accommodations for a traveler that: (a) meet the basic needs of the traveler (at a discount), (b) fills vacant room for accommodation retailers with guests that pay below market, but above standard costs, and (c) profit from the extra cash, the margin in the transaction.

The virtual intermediary’s eye is always on the discount and the cash flow. One of the things that catches their attention are the accommodation taxes which they collect from the traveler in advance and remit …

“Aspectos Jurídicos Del Delito De Trata De Personas En Colombia: Aportes Desde El Derecho Internacional, Derecho Penal Y Las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales”, Andres Barreto, Beatriz Londoño, Antonio Varon, Andrea Mateus

Andres Barreto

La preocupación por el fenómeno de la trata de personas en el escenario internacional ha sido una constante para los Estados desde mediados del siglo XIX. En Colombia la legislación que condena el delito empezó su recorrido desde el Código Penal de 1980, en donde se castigaba con penas de prisión de 2 a 6 años a todo aquel que promoviere la entrada o salida del país de mujer o menor de edad para ejercer la prostitución. Sin embargo, la complejidad de las redes criminales de este crimen transnacional empezó a evidenciar que la trata no solo se cometía sobre …

Clearing The Air In Copenhagen, Richard Faulk

Richard Faulk

As I prepare to depart for the Copenhagen climate change conference, the entire process seems awash in doubt, confusion, and controversy. Despite the grand hopes of many members of the international community, including many respected politicians and scientists, even the most optimistic advocates concede that it will be impossible to secure a comprehensive and binding climate change agreement. Instead, the delegates will seek a consensus that will guide the drafting and presentation of a formal treaty sometime in 2010, either in Bonn or in Mexico City.

The International Trade Commission: Potential Bias, Hold-Up, And The Need For Reform, William Dolan

Duke Law & Technology Review

The International Trade Commission (ITC) is an alternate venue for holders of U.S. patents to pursue litigation against infringing products produced abroad and imported to the United States. Because the ITC may only grant injunctive relief, it has awarded injunctions in situations where there may have been better and more efficient remedies to the infringement available through litigation in federal district court. The increased likelihood of injunctive relief bolsters the position of patent holders against a wide range of producers in royalty negotiations and can harm the end consumers through a process known as "patent hold-up." There are currently sweeping …

Hope Over Experience?, Cath Collins

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Writing about US human rights policy from the outside is always a disconcerting experience. All bets are off, and all assumptions are turned on their head. Assumptions from the South looking North are that, rhetoric aside, US interests rarely if ever feature human rights protection and promotion in first place. What’s more, they have very frequently featured the opposite: dirty tricks, torture and rendition were sadly familiar to students of Latin American history long before Guantanamo. The Clinton years went some way towards reining in the more blatant contradictions of the 1980s, but they also set in train the easy …

The New Adventures Of The Common Law, Damien P. Horigan

Pace International Law Review Online Companion

One of the arguably unexpected legal developments during the first decade of this century has been the emergence of new common law jurisdictions in a region with a very different legal heritage – the Arabian Peninsula. These young jurisdictions have been created specifically to foster the growth of new hubs for banking and finance. This article will examine these new adventures of the common law.

La Ley De Drogas Vigente Como Sistema Jurídico Paralelo, David Cordero Heredia

David Cordero Heredia

El artículo analiza como la política internacional anti drogas crea, en Ecuador, un sistema de reglas contrarias a la Constitución y a los tratados internacionales ratificados por el Estado.

Change We Can Believe In?, Katherine Hite

Human Rights & Human Welfare

We were warned to temper our high hopes for a bold new Obama era of human rights. After all, President Obama would have “a lot on his plate”: a serious economic crisis, high unemployment, over forty million people without health insurance, “two wars,” global volatility. But it’s very hard not to be dismayed by some of the continuities from the Bush to the Obama administration, as well as by some Janus-faced policy decisions with damning human rights implications. When it comes to US-Latin America relations, such decisions include: professing support for progressive immigration reform while expanding regressive anti-immigration measures; claiming …

From Inspiring Hope To Taking Action: Obama And Human Rights, Stephen James

Human Rights & Human Welfare

While President George H. Bush spoke of a new world order, and his “misunderestimated” son mangled the English language at countless press conferences, with Barack Obama the USA now has a talented orator as a president. There is a new word order. But does the new and skillful rhetoric match the reality when it comes to human rights?

The Fiduciary Constitution Of Human Rights, Evan Fox-Decent, Evan J. Criddle

Faculty Publications

We argue that human rights are best conceived as norms arising from a fiduciary relationship that exists between states (or statelike actors) and the citizens and noncitizens subject to their power. These norms draw on a Kantian conception of moral personhood, protecting agents from instrumentalization and domination. They do not, however, exist in the abstract as timeless natural rights. Instead, they are correlates of the state’s fiduciary duty to provide equal security under the rule of law, a duty that flows from the state’s institutional assumption of irresistible sovereign powers.

Why Egregious Errors Of Law May Yet Justify A Refusal Of Enforcement Under The 'New York Convention', Seng Wei, Edward Ti

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Parties on the losing side in international arbitration have long argued that an error of law is a defence to the enforcement of foreign awards. Citing article V(2)(b) of the New York Convention, such parties have argued that a manifest error of law is a violation of public policy. While national courts have generally paid little heed to this line of argument, this article seeks to raise the possibility that there may yet be the exceedingly rare instance in which a court should preclude enforcing an award marred by a hideous error of law. Limited review of an arbitrator's application …

The Statesman's Dilemma: Peace Or Justice? Or Neither?, Henry Krisch

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Just as I sat down to comment on President Obama and human rights, I glanced today's (November 19, 2009) The New York Times and found several opinion essays-careful in fact, thoughtful in tone, reasonable in argument-critical of Obama's approach during his recent visit to China toward Chinese human rights violations (mainly concerning Tibet but including also imprisoned lawyers, internet censorship, and persecution of Falun Gong.) The essayists considered various tactics for exerting American pressure on China regarding human rights. Common to all of them was a tone of rueful admiration for the political and diplomatic skill with which China fended …

Playing By The Rules: Combating Al Qaeda Within The Law Of War, David Glazier

William & Mary Law Review

Although the conflict formerly known as the “war on terror” is now in its eighth year, key legal issues governing the use of force and military detention remain largely unresolved. These questions survive the Bush administration, as the United States continues to launch aerial strikes against al Qaeda and President Obama has indicated his intention to continue the use of preventative detention and military trials even after Guantánamo is closed. Military victory is not possible, but good faith application of authority from the law of war can effectively complement traditional criminal law in combating the threat. Even if the Geneva …

La Tributación En Los Negocios Internacionales, Juan David Barbosa

Juan David Barbosa Mariño

El presente escrito analiza, desde la perspectiva de la normatividad colombiana y del derecho tributario internacional, algunos de los aspectos mas importantes que deben ser considerados al estructurar o determinar los efectos tributarios de un negocio internacional. El análisis presenta las implicaciones fiscales que pueden tener la negociación de los distintos Incoterms; así como algunos de los efectos en materia de IVA que pueden tener las normas de origen y las normas de valoración aduanera. También señala algunos efectos de la aplicación de tratados internacionales para los negocios internacionales, particularmente los Convenios para evitar la Doble Imposición – de aquí …

Ideologia E Utopias Nas Mais Recentes Constituintes Brasileira E Portuguesa: Algumas Linhas De Leitura, Paulo Ferreira Da Cunha

Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

Based upon a political compromise, in which « democratic socialists » and « social democrats » were the main protagonists, the ideology of Portuguese Constitution of 1976 was discrete, subtle. And ulterior constitutional revisions confirmed that fondamental aspect. Of course, utopia was present. But, even more present was the « hope principle ». We believe that the Brazilean constituent assembly, with the original importance of popular contributions, also had hope principle’s decisive influence. But the dinamics of the constituent assembly moderated, since the very beggining, the verbal signs of less discret ideologies. Utopia, neverthless, is very present in the aim …

The Next Generation: Creating New Peace Processes In The Middle East, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Irena Nutenko

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay describes how Israeli students in a course on mediation and consensus building taught in an Israeli university law department by and American law professor and an Israeli instructor analyzed and studied the conflict in the Middle East. It describes the suggestions they made for process design for the next stages of whatever peace process might emerge for the region. In light of the students' suggestions, the authors present some ideas as to how different approaches to reconciliation and peace might be used, managed, and coordinated.

Health Care And The Un Disability Rights Convention, Michael Ashley Stein, Penelope J S Stein, Dorothy Weiss, Raymond Lang

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

The March To Copenhagen And The Quest For Climate Justice, Ondotimi Songi, Timipere Songi

Ondotimi Songi

Following events preceding the Copenhagen conference on climate change, the article looks at whether world leaders can seal a comprehensive, fair, effective and binding climate change deal. It traces efforts at addressing climate change from a policy and legal perspective noting that the discussion on climate change has focused on environmental and economic costs and suggesting that the issue be seen from a human rights and development perspective so as to realign strategies and programmes on mitigation and adaptation. From an African perspective, as a continent that is worst hit by climate change, it is noted that apart from insisting …

Environmental Federalism: Historical Roots And Contemporary Models, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

The Bounds Of Consent: Consent Decrees, Settlements And Federal Environmental Policy Making, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

Who's Afraid Of The Precautionary Principle?, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

The precautionary principle – the notion that lack of scientific certainty should not foreclose precautionary regulation – has become enormously popular in recent years, as reflected by its endorsement in many important international declarations and agreements. Despite its growing influence, the precautionary principle recently has come under fire by critics who argue that it is incoherent, potentially paralyzing, and that it will lead regulators to make bad choices. They maintain that society faces greater peril from overly costly regulations than from exposure to sources of environmental risks whose effect on human health and the environment is not fully understood at …

Responding To Environmental Risk: A Pluralistic Perspective, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

Escaping The Common Law's Shadow: Standing In The Light Of Laidlaw, Robert V. Percival, Joanna B. Goger

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

Who Sues For Divorce? From Fault Through Fiction To Freedom, Lawrence M. Friedman, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Attorney Fee Shifting In Public Interest Litigation, Robert V. Percival, Geoffrey P. Miller

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

Water Pollution Control: Lessons From Transnational Experience, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

Water is fundamental to life, as reflected in space scientists' compulsive search for signs of its presence when scrutinizing other planets for possible life forms. Fortunately for our species, more than two-thirds of our planet is covered with water, creating an environment richly conducive to life. Humans have just begun to appreciate how precious earth's water resources are and how vulnerable they are to damage from human activity. Efforts to protect earth's water resources from contamination have been among the most prominent catalysts for the development of environmental law thoroughout the world. After surveying this experience, this paper finds that …

El Surgimiento Del Derecho Ambiental Global, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

Legal systems across the globe are responding to environmental concerns in surprising new ways. As nations upgrade their environmental standards, some are transplanting law and regulatory policy innovations derived from the experience of other countries, including nations with very different legal and cultural traditions. New national, regional, and international initiatives have been undertaken both by governments and private organizations. Greater cross-border collaboration between government officials, nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations and other entities is shaping environmental policy in ways that blur traditional private/public land domestic/international distinctions. The result has been the emergence of a kind of “global environmental law” – law …

A Tale Of Two Courts: Litigation In Alameda And San Benito Counties, Lawrence M. Friedman, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

The Processing Of Felonies In The Superior Court Of Alameda County 1880-1974, Lawrence M. Friedman, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.

Conservation And Renewable Energy Sources As Supply Alternatives For New York's Electric Utilities, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

No abstract provided.