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The ‘Objectives’ And ‘Principles’ Of The Wto Trips Agreement: A Detailed Anatomy, Alison Slade Jan 2016

The ‘Objectives’ And ‘Principles’ Of The Wto Trips Agreement: A Detailed Anatomy, Alison Slade

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Articles 7 and 8 of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) are entitled ‘Objectives’ and ‘Principles’ respectively. These provisions occupy a prominent position within the text of the Agreement, yet have figured sparingly in the legal reasoning of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). The illogical nature of this discrepancy is accentuated when considered in light of four key factors. First, the pioneering step taken by the negotiators of the TRIPS Agreement to include broad declarations of intent within the legally operative text. Second, the 2001 reinforcement given to the authority of these provisions through …


Corruption And Development: The Need Of International Investigations With A Multijurisdictional Approach And The Involvement Of Multilateral Development Banks With National Authorities, Juan Ronderos, Michelle Ratpan, Andrea Osorio Rincon Jan 2016

Corruption And Development: The Need Of International Investigations With A Multijurisdictional Approach And The Involvement Of Multilateral Development Banks With National Authorities, Juan Ronderos, Michelle Ratpan, Andrea Osorio Rincon

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

The authors argue that while both Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and national governments have mechanisms to fight corruption, the outcomes of these enforcement mechanisms diverge. MDBs are interested in the causes and effects of corruption from a development perspective and, as such, tend to sanction Small and Medium Enterprises and individuals, while national governments are focused on a more punitive outcome, targeting larger multinational corporations. The article examines the enforcement objectives articulated in national legislation, namely the American Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act and its Canadian counterpart (the CFPOA) as well as several Canadian cases, on the one hand, and …


Consult, Consent And Veto: International Norms And Canadian Treaties, Shin Imai Jan 2016

Consult, Consent And Veto: International Norms And Canadian Treaties, Shin Imai

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Large parts of Canada, from Ontario to parts of British Columbia and north to the Northwest Territories, are covered by the “numbered treaties”, signed between First Nations and the Crown between 1871 and 1929. These treaties provide for the creation of small reserves for the Indians, and the “surrender” of the remaining tracts of land to the Crown. The land that is “surrendered” continues to be available for Indigenous hunting, fishing and harvesting activities. However, once the land is “taken up” by the provincial Crown for activities such as mining, lumbering and settlement, the treaty rights to hunt, fish and …


Book Review: Joseph Rikhof, The Criminal Refugee: The Treatment Of Asylum Seekers With A Criminal Background In International And Domestic Law, Angus Gavin Grant Jan 2016

Book Review: Joseph Rikhof, The Criminal Refugee: The Treatment Of Asylum Seekers With A Criminal Background In International And Domestic Law, Angus Gavin Grant

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Book Review of Joseph Rikhof, The Criminal Refugee: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers with a Criminal Background in International and Domestic Law.


Corruption At The Intersection Of Business And Government: The Oecd Convention, Supply-Side Corruption And Canada's Anti-Corruption Efforts To Date, Milos Barutciski, Sabrina A. Bandali Jan 2016

Corruption At The Intersection Of Business And Government: The Oecd Convention, Supply-Side Corruption And Canada's Anti-Corruption Efforts To Date, Milos Barutciski, Sabrina A. Bandali

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Over the last twenty years, international and regional conventions have been concluded to combat the corruption of public officials. Part I of the paper explains the genesis of international anti-corruption law and its focus on the "supply-side" of bribery transactions, drawing on the negotiating history and the experience of practitioners involved in the development of international anti-corruption law. Parts II and III examine Canada's implementation of its international obligations and its enforcement record to date. Part IV of the paper concludes with an analysis of the challenges faced by Canadian businesses and the limitations of the focus on supply-side of …


Notes On The German Economy And Energy Ministry's Proposal For Reformed Investor-State Dispute Settlement (Isds), Gus Van Harten Jan 2015

Notes On The German Economy And Energy Ministry's Proposal For Reformed Investor-State Dispute Settlement (Isds), Gus Van Harten

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

These notes provide a general reaction to a proposal by the German economy and energy ministry for ISDS in a treaty between Europe and the U.S. Overall, the proposal takes only a minority of the steps needed to make ISDS independent, fair, open, subsidiary, and balanced. I suggest that the appropriate approach remains to reject ISDS in new treaties (especially among Western developed countries). The proposal would be a good starting point for replacing ISDS in existing treaties with developing or transition countries – but that is clearly not its purpose.


The Icsid Under Siege: Unasur And The Rise Of A Hybrid Regime For International Investment Arbitration, Kendall Grant Jan 2015

The Icsid Under Siege: Unasur And The Rise Of A Hybrid Regime For International Investment Arbitration, Kendall Grant

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

The legitimacy and effectiveness of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) — a dispute resolution body established in 1966 under the auspices of the World Bank — is a matter of spirited debate. It has been argued by some that ICSID’s ideological and procedural bias impedes fairness and by others that its complexity and cost restrict access to justice; many contend that the absence of an appeal process has exacerbated uncertainty and unpredictability. In 2009, in the wake of rampant dissatisfaction and ideological challenge, especially on the part of Latin American states, Ecuador proposed the creation of …


Climate Change And Human Rights: How? Where? When?, Basil E. Ugochukwu Jan 2015

Climate Change And Human Rights: How? Where? When?, Basil E. Ugochukwu

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

Climate change poses a threat to several internationally recognized human rights, including the rights to food, a livelihood, health, a healthy environment, access to water and the rights to work and to cultural life. Actions taken to mitigate and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change have to be centred on human rights. In negotiations for a binding international climate change instrument, nation states have been called upon to fully respect human rights in all climate-related actions. As important as this demand is, there is also the need to describe and plan how human rights can be integrated into …


A Parade Of Reforms: The European Commission's Latest Proposal For Isds, Gus Van Harten Jan 2015

A Parade Of Reforms: The European Commission's Latest Proposal For Isds, Gus Van Harten

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

The European Commission's most recent proposal for ISDS reflects a move away from essentially fake reforms to something potentially more meaningful. However, it is insufficient to satisfy the criteria of independence, fairness, openness, subsidiarity, and balance and does not appear reliable until backed by clear language and a negotiating red line for the proposed Canada-Europe CETA and any other agreement providing for ISDS.


The European Commission's Push To Consolidate And Expand Isds: An Assessment Of The Proposed Canada-Europe Ceta And Europe-Singapore Fta, Gus Van Harten Jan 2015

The European Commission's Push To Consolidate And Expand Isds: An Assessment Of The Proposed Canada-Europe Ceta And Europe-Singapore Fta, Gus Van Harten

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the European Commission’s approach to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the proposed CETA with Canada and FTA with Singapore. The text on ISDS in both agreements is evaluated according to general criteria of independence, fairness, openness, and balance. The main conclusion reached is that there is no significant difference between the CETA and FTA when it comes to ISDS. With the qualified exception of the criterion of openness, both agreements fall well short of satisfying the criteria. As such, neither agreement offers a significant improvement on the U.S. model of ISDS and, …