International Trade Law Commons^™

Reflections On Recent Oecd Activities: Regulation Of Multinational Corporate Conduct And Structure, Kurt Stockmann

Michigan Journal of International Law

In recent, years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has repeatedly addressed, in a variety of forms, the problem of transnational corporate concentration. In the field of restrictive business practices, it has made suggestions on specific antitrust problems, issued council recommendations, and promulgated the 1976 Concil Guidelines for multinational enterprises. Not surprisingly for an organization that adheres to the principle of unanimity and, consequently, is governed by the law of the smallest common denominator, these efforts have thus far focused more on procedure than on substance. Even where quasisubstantive rules have been adopted, such as in competition guideline …

National Panasonic (U.K.) Ltd. V. Commission Of The European Communities: The Common Market's First Look At Warrantless Searches In Antitrust Investigations, Catherine C. Gale

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

In Antitrust Investigations National Panasonic (UK) Ltd v. Commission of the European Communities' is the first decision of the European Court of Justice delineating the powers of the European Commission to conduct evidentiary searches on the premises of firms suspected of violating the European Economic Community's antitrust laws. The Court held that the Commission may conduct on-the-spot searches of firms without prior notification. The Court's decision greatly expands the investigatory powers of the Commission at the expense of significant privacy and due process rights for firms operating within the European Community. This note will examine the extent to which the …

Structural Aspects Of Multinational Corporate Trade With The Nonmarket Economies Of Eastern Europe: An Mnc Perspective On Domestic And Foreign Regulation, John G. Scriven

Michigan Journal of International Law

In considering the structural aspects of multinational corporate trade relationships with the nonmarket economies of Eastern Europe, it is important, as a preliminary matter, to acknowledge certain intractable features of that trade. Only through a continuing awareness of the interplay of these factors can one hope to understand the role of law or regulation in trade with these states.

The "Economic" Analysis Of Transnational Mergers, William James Adams

Michigan Journal of International Law

No congregation of lawyers can be considered complete without a token economist. The role of the economist consists of describing the economic mode of analyzing the legal problem under consideration. Unfortunately from the standpoint of the token, economists rarely agree on criteria appropriate for the appraisal of economic phenomena. With respect to transnational corporate mergers, four modes of analysis may be described legitimately as economic.

Regulating Multinational Corporate Concentration-The European Economic Community, John Temple Lang

Michigan Journal of International Law

It is the purpose of this article to discuss the policies and goals of the efforts of the European Communities to regulate multinational corporate concentration. For reasons that will become clear in the course of the article, it is necessary to start by outlining the means available to the European Communities, both presently and potentially, to promote these policies. It is not possible to see what those policies might be or how they are likely to develop without understanding the practical implications of the various legal rules on which the Community might rely in the future. This article does not …

Canadian Merger Policy And Its International Implications, Eric K. Gressman

Michigan Journal of International Law

The implications of Canadian merger policy are of deep concern to U.S. and other foreign investors who have invested or are considering investing in Canada. U.S. interests own 60 percent of Canada's manufacturing industry. In 1978, approximately 250 mergers in Canada involved a foreign-owned or foreign-controlled buyer (usually U.S.). Therefore, it is not surprising that Canada's merger policy is no less important to the decisions of foreign investors in Canada than the Justice Department's policies are to domestic investors in the United States. At the same time, the Canadian government and public are concerned with their merger policy as a …

Regulation Of Concentration Through Merger Control: Germany's Continuing Efforts, Kurt Stockmann

Michigan Journal of International Law

The Federal Republic of Germany's Law Against Restraints on Competition (the ARC), establishes an extensive regime for regulating market-dominating enterprises. Therefore, large corporations, both national and multinational, are the subject of particular scrutiny in the Federal Republic. Rather than identify and address all the provisions pertinent to corporate concentration (a task whose tedium would be matched only by its enormity), this analysis will undertake three tasks: (1) briefly describe the general scope of West German merger law, (2) discuss the application of the law to cases of transnational concentration, and (3) explain the proposed Fourth Amendment to the ARC as …

Sherman Act Applications To Predation By Controlled Economy Enterprises Marketing In The United States: Departures From Mechanical Formulae, Deborah M. Levy

Michigan Journal of International Law

In a reproachful dissent in United States v. Columbia Steel, the late Justice Douglas sought to remind his brethren what the antitrust laws of the United States are all about: [A]ll power tends to develop into a government in itself. Power that controls the economy should be in the hands of elected representatives of the people, not in the hands of an industrial oligarchy. Industrial power should be decentralized.... That is the philosophy and the command of the Sherman Act.

Antitrust And International Know-How, Joel Davidow

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

It has been rumored that some political strategists would like to channel negotiations between developed countries of the North and developing countries of the South toward a trade-off allowing unrestricted access to Northern technology in exchange for decartelized supplies and prices for Southern raw materials. Each side would give away some of its heritage in exchange for improved access to the primary asset of the other. The negotiation shave faltered. In regard to many crucial issues they have never really begun, and in some respects the two sides have moved further apart over time. The classical economist sees no reason …

Competition, Trade, And The Antitrust Division: 1981, Joel Davidow

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

One of the primary purposes-some would say the primary pur- pose--of antitrust laws is to promote efficient allocation of resources and maximum consumer choice by preventing and punishing artificial barriers to competition and unreasonable restraints of trade.' The An- titrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has therefore con- cerned itself with the task of breaking down those barriers. In the domestic field, this policy has traditionally taken the form of prosecut- ing persons and corporations who engage in price fixing or market divi- sion, or who obtain or maintain monopoly power by means of abusive practices. More recently, …

Is Somebody "Crying Wolf"?: An Assessment Of Whether Antitrust Impedes Export Trade, John Will Ongman

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The impact of the United States antitrust laws on American exports has in recent years become a controversial issue, especially in view of the increasing U.S, trade deficit. In this article, Mr. Ongman employs economic analysis to determine the desirability of a protectionistic Sherman Act. He concludes that such a policy, resulting in foreign retaliation and spillover into the domestic market, would be unwise.

The Effects Of United States Antitrust Laws On The International Operations Of American Firms, Melvin Schwechter, Richard Schepard

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

United States antitrust laws increasingly have affected the international activities of U.S. corporations. The business community maintains that these laws have hurt international operations. In this article, Messrs. Schwechter and Schepard consider five major areas of concern to American businessmen: potential antitrust attacks upon licensing agreements, use of the foreign sovereign compulsion doctrine as an antitrust defense, subject matter jurisdiction and discovery, application of the "rule of reason" to international joint ventures, and the multifaceted nature of antitrust enforcement. They then discuss the Justice Department's response to the business community and propose several recommendations that should help United States firms …

Fimex Corp. V. Barmatic Products Co.: Robinson-Patman Act - Application To Goods Purchased For Resale Abroad, David Salem

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Antitrust Law Of The European Economic Community - An Interpretation Of Articles 85 And 86 Of The Treaty Of Rome, Susan Sugar Nathan

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Foreign Discovery And U.S. Antitrust Policy--The Conflict Resolving Mechanisms, Donald L. Flexner

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

A look back at the last thirty years of United States antitrust's foreign "voyages of discovery" among friendly nations reveals a picture too often resembling not so much an era of good feeling as a thirty years war. Following hard upon Judge Hand's famous formulation of the "effects" doctrine in Alcoa in 1946 the Antitrust Division conducted a series of investigations in which compulsory process was used to seek documents located in foreign nations. Prodded by what they viewed as U.S. antitrust authorities' impermissible overreaching, the affected countries began to enact defensive "blocking statutes." The passage by Canada's Ontario Province …

Department Of Justice Opinion Letter, Patricia M. Wald

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Department of Justice supports the main purpose of these bills, that is, expeditious exposure of, and effective opposition to, secret cartel arrangements supported by foreign governments that cause direct injury in U. S. commerce. The Department of Justice also welcomes support for accelerated efforts toward international resolution of restrictive anticompetitive business practices. However, the Department, for the reasons stated above, recommends against enactment of H.R. 13921 and H.R. 13922 in their present forms.

We do believe the continued exploration and discussion of the need for enactment of a reporting requirement for foreign, governmentally-involved, cartels would be worthwhile. We have …

The Cartel Restriction Act Of 1979: Response To A Global Economic Problem, Albert Gore

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The potential for workable cartels presently exists in several commodities, and host-countries and multinationals have already initiated or attempted cartel activities in minerals and agricultural goods. The recent success of the OPEC cartel was a significant factor influencing the formation of the uranium cartel by easing corporate and governmental inhibitions against cartel activities. Given the increasing exploitative attitude among developed countries and what has been termed the "irrational solidarity" among developing countries, it is not unreasonable to expect more imitations of OPEC success wherever market conditions would allow a group of producers to extract monopoly rents from consuming nations. Such …

The Contemporary Antitrust Regulation Of Joint Ventures In The European Economic Community, Stephen O. Spinks

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The joint venture is a form of organization widely used in international business. Although anticompetitive effects of mergers, interlocking directorates, and cartels are more frequently the targets of enforcement efforts under antitrust laws than joint ventures, the latter can be equally effective in reducing competition in the market place.

The legal status of joint ventures in various jurisdictions has remained a subject of some confusion possibly because of their hybrid nature--not quite cartels, yet not quite mergers. This confusion still exists to some extent in the United States, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has held that section 7 …

Case Digest, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

1. ACT OF STATE DOCTRINE

Hickenlooper Amendment Inapplicable to Oil Drilling Concession Granted by Foreign Government

2. ADMIRALTY

Shipowner is Entitled to Indemnification from Tortfeasor when a Covenant of Workmanlike Performance by the Tortfeasor can Reasonably be Implied

Judicially-Created Maritime Wrongful Death Cause of Action Applies Retroactively as Exclusive Remedy Time-Charterer Not Entitled to Indemnification for Litigation Expenses when not Obligated to Provide Seaworthy Vessel

Claims within Scope of the Public Vessels Act Cannot be Brought under the Terms of the Suits in Admiralty Act

Lumber Employee Working on Saltwater Pond Held Not Engaged in Maritime Employment and Not Covered …

Case Digest, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

1. Admiralty

State Port Authority Acting Incident to Maritime Carriage Subject to Admiralty Jurisdiction in Damage Suit

MARINE INSURANCE PROVIDING COVERAGE OF LOSSES "ARISING FROM OR OCCURRING FROM" SPECIFIED CONDITIONS DOES NOT COVER LOSSES OCCURRING AFTER PERIOD OF COVERAGE DUE TO CONDITIONS WHICH INITIALLY AROSE DURING THE PERIOD OF COVERAGE

FEDERAL COURT LACKS POWER UNDER SUITS IN ADMIRALTY ACT TO IMPOSE GOVERNMENTAL LIABILITY FOR HARM CAUSED BY FAILURE TO EXERCISE DISCRETIONARY FUNCTION

2. Alien's Rights

FAMILY RELATIONSHIP CAN BE SHOWN AS A MATTER OF FACT FOR IMMIGRATION PURPOSES WHERE APPLICABLE FOREIGN DOMESTIC LAW HOLDS MEANINGLESS THE CONCEPT OF LEGITIMACY

3. …

Recent Decisions, John J. Curry, Jr., Dan T. Carter, Melissa Gallivan, James A. Delanis

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

ANTITRUST--Import Restrictions--Import Ban Ordered as Equitable Relief for Violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act Must Not Discriminate Against Foreign Producers or Reduce Competition

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European Communities--Restrictive Trade Practices--Patent Licensing Agreements that Restrict Competition between Member States Without Improving Production or Distribution or Promoting Technical or Economic Progress Violate Article 85

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JURISDICTION--CONTINENTAL SHELF--ABANDONED VESSEL SALVAGED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE UNITED STATES CONTINENTAL SHELF BEYOND TERRITORIAL WATERS IS NOT UNDER JURISDICTION OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

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IMMIGRATION--A STATE MAY PROHIBIT THE EMPLOYMENT OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

International Oil--Shortage, Cartel Or Emerging Resource Monopoly?, James T. Jensen

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In the early days of industrialization in the United States, giant combines with great market power developed in a number of industries, such as oil, steel and railroads. Out of that era arose a body of domestic law and regulation that sought to define the limits within which those organizations could function in the economic life of the country. The Sherman and Clayton Acts formed the basis for antitrust law. Regulatory agencies such as the Federal Power Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Trade Commission were formed to regulate the excesses of the private sector. We may now …

The Trade Act Of 1974: Section 337 Of The Tariff Act And The Public Interest, John F. Mcdermid

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Trade Act of 1974 amended section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and thereby substantially modified the procedures for the conduct of United States International Trade Commission investigations concerning unfair practices in import trade. The Trade Act changed the role of the ITC from that of a relatively passive adviser on potential courses of action to the President to that of final judge, subject to Presidential override and judicial review, of whether a violation of the Act has occurred. Additionally, the Trade Act provides that in the event that the violation is found, the ITC may now issue …

The Rule Of Reason Under Article 85(1) Of The Treaty Of Rome And Vertical Distributorship Agreements In European Economic Community Antitrust Case Law , Stuart S. Malawer

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Exports And Antitrust: Must Competition Stop At The Water's Edge?, Dudley H. Chapman

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The ground rules governing competition in international trade rank high among current issues of economic policy. The President's pending Trade Bill and its companion bill on competitive practices place a new emphasis on issues of unfair competition. These issues were prominent during the early 1900's and the interwar years but have rested in abeyance through the long post-war transition. The economic predominance of the United States characterized the post-war period. Now that Europe and Japan are once again formidable competitors in the world marketplace, the rules governing competition on the international level have regained their prior importance. As may be …