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Regulation Of Digital Trade In Us Free Trade Agreements: From Trade Regulation To Digital Regulation, Henry S. Gao Feb 2018

Regulation Of Digital Trade In Us Free Trade Agreements: From Trade Regulation To Digital Regulation, Henry S. Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article reviews the evolution of rules on digital trade in US Free Trade Agreements (US FTAs), and argues that the US approach has shifted from treating it largely as a traditional trade issue to recognizing its unique digital nature and tailoring the rules accordingly, as it has done in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The article begins with a review of the efforts to regulate e-commerce in the WTO, as well as the achievements of the pre-TPP US FTAs so far, followed by a critical appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the e-commerce chapter in the TPP. It …


The Wto Transparency Obligations And China, Henry S. Gao Feb 2018

The Wto Transparency Obligations And China, Henry S. Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

When it acceded to the WTO in 2001, China accepted comprehensive transparency obligations as well as substantive commitments covering both market access and rules issues. Initially designed to deal with its opaque trade law regime, the transparency obligations were also expected to help democratize the legislative process and promote the development of the rule of law in China. Now that more than 15 years have passed, an important question is: have the transparency obligations delivered on their original promise? This article answers the question by reviewing how the transparency obligations have worked in practice. It notes that, while transparency has …


Regulation Of Digital Trade In Us Free Trade Agreements: From Trade Regulation To Digital Regulation, Henry S. Gao Feb 2018

Regulation Of Digital Trade In Us Free Trade Agreements: From Trade Regulation To Digital Regulation, Henry S. Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article reviews the evolution of rules on digital trade in US Free Trade Agreements (US FTAs), and argues that the US approach has shifted from treating it largely as a traditional trade issue to recognizing its unique digital nature and tailoring the rules accordingly, as it has done in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The article begins with a review of the efforts to regulate e-commerce in the WTO, as well as the achievements of the pre-TPP US FTAs so far, followed by a critical appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the e-commerce chapter in the TPP. It …


Recent Developments Concerning Similar Fact Evidence In Singapore: Pushing The Boundaries Of Admissibility – Pp V Ranjit Singh Gill Menjeet Singh [2017] 3 Slr 66; Micheal Anak Garing V Pp [2017] 1 Slr 748, Eunice Chua Feb 2018

Recent Developments Concerning Similar Fact Evidence In Singapore: Pushing The Boundaries Of Admissibility – Pp V Ranjit Singh Gill Menjeet Singh [2017] 3 Slr 66; Micheal Anak Garing V Pp [2017] 1 Slr 748, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This piece addressestwo recent local decisions on similar fact evidence that demonstratethe court’s difficulties with reconciling the provisions of the Evidence Actwith a more flexible approach that can be developed through the common law.These two cases extend the basis for admitting similar fact evidence beyond ss11(b), 14 and 15 of the Evidence Act.The application of the common law balancing test comparing prejudicial effectand probative value has also been broadened to consider factors such as the timingof the objection to the evidence and whether a co-accused wishes to rely on thesimilar fact evidence. Yet, the cases do not discuss the conceptual …


City Harvest Case And The Separation Of Powers, Yihan Goh Feb 2018

City Harvest Case And The Separation Of Powers, Yihan Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Verdict provides important example of how the courts and Parliament play different roles in Singapore's legal system. The Court of Appeal last week upheld the reduced sentences passed in the City Harvest Church (CHC) case. Six former church leaders were charged with having conspired to commit the aggravated offence of criminal breach of trust (CBT) as an "agent" under Section 409 of the Penal Code. Departing from the earlier interpretation that had stood for the past 40 years, the court decided that Section 409 applied only to professional agents, which the former church leaders were not. The charges were reduced …


Sgca Grants Senior Indian Advocate Ad Hoc Admission To Argue Arbitration-Related Applications, Aaron Yoong, Kartik Singh, Aaron Yoong Feb 2018

Sgca Grants Senior Indian Advocate Ad Hoc Admission To Argue Arbitration-Related Applications, Aaron Yoong, Kartik Singh, Aaron Yoong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a reversal of the High Court’s 2017 decision, Singapore’s Court of Appeal (“CA”) recently granted unprecedented ad hoc admission for Harish Salve (“Mr Salve”) – a Senior Advocate of the Indian Bar – to be admitted to argue foreign law issues in applications to set aside an ICC arbitral award. This is the first time the Singapore courts have granted foreign counsel other than Queen’s Counsel admission to argue a case before the local courts.


Should Securities Regulators Allow Companies Going Public With Dual-Class Shares?, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez Jan 2018

Should Securities Regulators Allow Companies Going Public With Dual-Class Shares?, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In the past years, several companies, such as Google, Linkedin, Facebook, and Alibaba, went public with dual-class share structures, that is, share structures that typically include two classes of ordinary shares carrying unequal voting rights. Those shares with more voting rights (eg, ‘class A’ shares) are usually held by the company´s founders and executives, while the rest of the company´s share capital, formed by stock with regular voting rights (eg, ‘class B’ shares), is generally sold to outside investors.


Singapore, Country Study Prepared For Global Philanthropy Environment Index, Tan K. B. Eugene Jan 2018

Singapore, Country Study Prepared For Global Philanthropy Environment Index, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.


Proposed Law Must Balance Effectiveness And Liberties, Tan K. B. Eugene Jan 2018

Proposed Law Must Balance Effectiveness And Liberties, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan opined that it is important to have dedicated laws to deal with the evolving threat of fake news in Singapore. As the issue of fake news and online misinformation is rather broad, it would be practical for the Select Committee to focus on one aspect of it: that is, the spread of false or misleading information resulting from a coordinated effort whether as a matter of statecraft or for the purpose of making profits. This sends a clear signal that any law to be considered is targeted and will be …


An Introduction To The Singapore Convention On Mediation: Perspectives From Singapore, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong Jan 2018

An Introduction To The Singapore Convention On Mediation: Perspectives From Singapore, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

At the 51st Session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) on 25th June 2018, the final draft of the Convention on the Enforcement of International Settlement Agreements (the ‘Convention’) was recommended for submission to the UN General Assembly for its consideration, and the corresponding Model Law was adopted. A resolution to name the Convention the ‘Singapore Convention on Mediation’ was also approved. This concluded three years of vigorous debate in UNCITRAL Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) with participation by 85 member States and 35 international governmental and non-governmental organisations. The UN General Assembly has adopted …


Regulating Squeeze-Out Techniques By Controlling Shareholders: The Divergence Between Hong Kong And Singapore, Christopher C. H. Chen, Wei Zhang, Wai Yee Wan Jan 2018

Regulating Squeeze-Out Techniques By Controlling Shareholders: The Divergence Between Hong Kong And Singapore, Christopher C. H. Chen, Wei Zhang, Wai Yee Wan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Squeeze-out transactions are controversial as the controlling shareholders may expropriate the minorities’ shareholdings at unattractive prices. Existing scholarship has focused on the optimal approach towards regulating such transactions in the US and the UK, which have widely dispersed public shareholdings, but little attention is placed on jurisdictions with concentrated shareholdings, which may necessitate a different approach given that the prospects of expropriation are very high. This article fills the gap by examining Hong Kong and Singapore, which have concentrated shareholdings. Notwithstanding the fact that they have adapted their corporate and securities laws from the UK, Hong Kong ultimately provides greater …


Deferred Prosecution Agreements In Singapore?, Eunice Chua Jan 2018

Deferred Prosecution Agreements In Singapore?, Eunice Chua

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

On 15 January 2018, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam said at a dialogue organised by the Law Society that deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) could be introduced in Singapore as part of proposed changes to the criminal justice system. DPAs are agreements by the prosecutor to suspend prosecution of a corporate entity if it complies with specific conditions. If the corporation fails to comply with the conditions, the prosecution may resume. This post examines the case for and against DPAs and explores the issues they may present in the Singapore context.


The Doctrine Of Severability In Constitutional Review: A Perspective From Singapore, Benjamin Joshua Ong Jan 2018

The Doctrine Of Severability In Constitutional Review: A Perspective From Singapore, Benjamin Joshua Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Singapore Court of Appeal’s decision in Prabagaran a/l Srivijayan v Public Prosecutor represents a substantial development in Singapore’s law on the doctrine of severability in constitutional review. An examination of Prabagaran reveals rich theoretical underpinnings relating to the nature of legislative intent. The case rightly locates the crux of the severability inquiry in secondary legislative intention, i.e. the legislature’s intention, at the time a statute was enacted, as to what should happen in the event that part of the statute is later held to be unconstitutional. This approach is preferable to the approach of asking whether excision of unconstitutional …


User Damages And The Limits Of Compensatory Reasoning, Alvin W. L. See Jan 2018

User Damages And The Limits Of Compensatory Reasoning, Alvin W. L. See

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The use of the term “user damages” in reference to compensatory damages is particularly problematic because it tends to overgeneralise the cases and conceal the importance of identifying the relevant loss in each case, which has implications on issues of proof, quantification and mitigation. This has contributed to the persistent neglect to squarely address issues of loss, which has in turn led to both over- and underestimation of the limits of compensatory damages. Once we look past the broad label, it becomes obvious that the cases purportedly unified by a common measure of loss tend to vary widely in facts …


Should Commercial Surrogacy Be Legalised?, Seow Hon Tan Jan 2018

Should Commercial Surrogacy Be Legalised?, Seow Hon Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Does Singapore condone commercial surrogacy? Thisquestion is in the limelight with a court judgment on a Singaporean doctor'sbid to adopt a boy he fathered through a commercial surrogacy arrangement inthe United States.


Achieving Substantive Justice In Mediation Through Procedural Justice: An Illusory Or Realizable Goal?, Dorcas Quek Anderson Jan 2018

Achieving Substantive Justice In Mediation Through Procedural Justice: An Illusory Or Realizable Goal?, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Mediation has been plagued with a problem of legitimacy. Genn stated that mediation “does not contribute to substantive justice because mediation requires the parties to relinquish ideas of legal rights during mediation and focus, instead, on problem-solving”. Mediation appears to be all about procedural justice, a concept that is associated with perceptions of fair treatment. And procedural justice does not seem to have any discernible link with substantive justice, in terms of giving effect to well-accepted norms.This blog entry is drawn from a paper that was presented at the Australasian Dispute Resolution Research Network 6th Annual Roundtable and the LSAANZ …


China’S Rise: How It Took On The U.S. At The Wto, Greg Shaffer, Henry S. Gao Jan 2018

China’S Rise: How It Took On The U.S. At The Wto, Greg Shaffer, Henry S. Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This Article builds from original fieldwork to show what lies behind China’s remarkably successful use of international trade law to take on the United States and Europe. The World Trade Organization (“WTO”) is unique in China’s international relations as it is the only forum where China, with its anti-legalist traditions, has resolved its disputes through law and the use of third-party dispute settlement. After China acceded to the WTO in 2001, it invested massively in building trade law capacity to transform itself and defend itself externally. Through these investments and its increased market power, China became a serious rival to …


Chocolate, Fashion, Toys And Cabs: The Misunderstood Distinctiveness Of Non-Traditional Trademarks, Irene Calboli Jan 2018

Chocolate, Fashion, Toys And Cabs: The Misunderstood Distinctiveness Of Non-Traditional Trademarks, Irene Calboli

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

What do Cadbury, Toblerone and Kit-Kat chocolates, the Rubik’s Cube and Lego mini-figurine toys, Louboutin shoes, Bottega Veneta bags and London Taxi Company cabs all have in common? These products have been, along with several others, protagonists of the rising trend of registering shapes and other non-traditional trademarks in a variety of countries, and then, in several cases, protagonist of ensuing litigation addressing the validity of these marks. To a large extent, the review panels and the courts involved in these cases have declared several of these marks invalid or have reduced their scope considerably. Hence, these cases have often …


Defining The Limits To Abuse Of Process: Lim Geok Lin Andy V Yap Jin Meng Bryan, Dorcas Quek Anderson Jan 2018

Defining The Limits To Abuse Of Process: Lim Geok Lin Andy V Yap Jin Meng Bryan, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The abuse of process jurisdiction, which forms part of the doctrine of res judicata, is meant to uphold finality of litigation and prevent abusive litigation. While the jurisdiction has been applied to the original parties of earlier court proceedings, it could also prevent a person who was not part of earlier court proceedings from litigating his claim. In such circumstances, the abuse of process doctrine has to be cognisant of the commercial realities and motivations driving choices to advance separate rather than consolidated proceedings, while also protecting litigants from repeated litigation. A recent Singapore Court of Appeal decision imposed constraints …


A Relationship Of Reciprocal Influence: Singapore Company Law And The Economy, Vincent Ooi, Cheng Han Tan Jan 2018

A Relationship Of Reciprocal Influence: Singapore Company Law And The Economy, Vincent Ooi, Cheng Han Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

A strong reciprocal relationship has existed between Singapore Company Law (“SCL”) and the economy since Independence in 1965. Swift Parliamentary responses to economic events and successful implementation of Government policies has made it possible to clearly attribute cause and effect to statutory amendments and economic events in turn, proving the reciprocal relationship between the two. The first theme of this paper seeks to explain the fundamental characteristics of SCL that have resulted in such an unusually strong reciprocal relationship: the 1) Autochthonous nature of SCL; 2) Responsive nature of legislation; and 3) Government control at multiple levels of implementation. The …


An Overlooked Overriding Interest In Singapore's Torrens System?, Seng Wei, Edward Ti Jan 2018

An Overlooked Overriding Interest In Singapore's Torrens System?, Seng Wei, Edward Ti

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

"A landowner free to develop his land as he wishes before the imposition of public controls, finds himself prohibited fromdoing so as a consequence of the controls. The title to his ownership of an estate or interest in the land is not disturbed orcalled into question in any fundamental way—he owns what he had previously … Nevertheless, the powers of ownershipare not what they were in all their fullness. He cannot legally do now what before he was at law and at liberty to do. Hisrights have been curtailed. He has lost something. What is it?"


Re-Examining The Law And Economics Of The Business Judgment Rule: Notes For Its Implementation In Non-Us Jurisdictions, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez Jan 2018

Re-Examining The Law And Economics Of The Business Judgment Rule: Notes For Its Implementation In Non-Us Jurisdictions, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The business judgment rule, as it has been traditionally understood, seems to be based on three underlying assumptions that make this rule economically desirable. First, directors are subject to a credible threat of being sued for a breach of the duty of care. Second, the primary role of the corporation is to maximise shareholder value. Third, shareholders want the directors to pursue those investment projects with the highest net present value regardless of their volatility. This article challenges these assumptions and argues that the business judgment rule might not be desirable in some jurisdictions outside the United States and even …


The Emergence Of Global Regulatory Coherence: A Thorny Embrace For China?, Han-Wei Liu, Ching-Fu Lin Jan 2018

The Emergence Of Global Regulatory Coherence: A Thorny Embrace For China?, Han-Wei Liu, Ching-Fu Lin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The last two decades have witnessed various governance initiatives across institutions, domestic and international, in response to mushrooming regulatory trade barriers. Among the efforts to balance regulatory autonomy and international cooperation, “regulatory coherence” or “good regulatory practices” seems a promising solution that centers upon bottom-up domestic regulatory rationalization. While existing literature has documented how recent mega-regional trade blocs seek to harness regulatory barriers through mechanisms of international cooperation, it has arguably overlooked certain crucial issues. In particular, how has regulatory coherence emerged as a new global norm vis-à-vis the default international economic and legal order? What are the limits to …


The Impact Of Human Trafficking In Asean: Singapore As A Case-Study, Jaya Anil Kumar Jan 2018

The Impact Of Human Trafficking In Asean: Singapore As A Case-Study, Jaya Anil Kumar

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Southeast Asia remains a notorious hotbed for human trafficking. The seriousness of the problem has led to the emergence of various initiatives to combat human trafficking. This paper seeks to address why human trafficking in Southeast Asia remains a contentious issue despite the various initiatives put in place for its eradication. ASEAN Member States, including Singapore, can only resolve the current inertia when it comes to combatting trafficking-in-persons (TIP) by adopting a multidimensional, and multistakeholder approach to the problem. Within Singapore, it is recommended that the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act should be amended such that it provides greater protection …


The Wto Practice Of Legality Is Ensuring Transparency Forself-Enforcing Trade, Abdulmalik Mousa S Altamimi Jan 2018

The Wto Practice Of Legality Is Ensuring Transparency Forself-Enforcing Trade, Abdulmalik Mousa S Altamimi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Purpose One of the core objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is to maintain a practice of legality, including guaranteeing state and non-state actors interact based on the world trade norms. In seeking to achieve this objective, the WTO aims to uphold the trade rule of law by emphasising compliance with specified rules and procedures during the accession process, dispute settlement and trade policy review. This study aims to review these compliance procedures by invoking the interactional international law concept of a community of legal practice. Second, it briefly illuminates Chad Bown's proposal to establish an institute for assessing …


Reconceptualizing International Investment Law From The Global South" By Fabio Morosini And Michelle Ratton Sanchez Badin, Han-Wei Liu Jan 2018

Reconceptualizing International Investment Law From The Global South" By Fabio Morosini And Michelle Ratton Sanchez Badin, Han-Wei Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This volume, edited by Fabio Morosini and Michelle Ratton Sanchez Badin, the leading legal academics from Brazil, features nine chapters written by highly regarded scholars in the area of international economic law. This book distinguishes itself from the existing scholarship in several important ways.


Independence And Impartiality Of Arbitrators: A Rule Of Law Analysis, Stefanie Schacherer Jan 2018

Independence And Impartiality Of Arbitrators: A Rule Of Law Analysis, Stefanie Schacherer

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) through arbitration remains in a state of legitimacy crisis and discussions on reform are ongoing. Much of the criticism is focussed on who is deciding investment dispute cases. Investment arbitrators have been called “private judges” who operate in secrecy, are biased in favour of big multinational companies and have no regard for conflicts of interest. The course of the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United States, highlighted to what extent ISDS through arbitration is perceived as unfair and biased (at least in Europe). As a reaction …