International Trade Law Commons^™

A Different Approach To Agency Theory And Implications For Esg, Jonathan Bonham, Amoray Riggs-Cragun

Seattle University Law Review

In conventional agency theory, the agent is modeled as exerting unobservable “effort” that influences the distribution over outcomes the principal cares about. Recent papers instead allow the agent to choose the entire distribution, an assumption that better describes the extensive and flexible control that CEOs have over firm outcomes. Under this assumption, the optimal contract rewards the agent directly for outcomes the principal cares about, rather than for what those outcomes reveal about the agent’s effort. This article briefly summarizes this new agency model and discusses its implications for contracting on ESG activities.

Overseeing The Administrative State, Jill E. Fisch

Seattle University Law Review

In a series of recent cases, the Supreme Court has reduced the regulatory power of the Administrative State. Pending cases offer vehicles for the Court to go still further. Although the Court’s skepticism of administrative agencies may be rooted in Constitutional principles or political expediency, this Article explores another possible explanation—a shift in the nature of agencies and their regulatory role. As Pritchard and Thompson detail in their important book, A History of Securities Law in the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court was initially skeptical of agency power, jeopardizing Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)’s ambitious New Deal plan. The Court’s acceptance …

The Sec, The Supreme Court, And The Administrative State, Paul G. Mahoney

Seattle University Law Review

Pritchard and Thompson have given those of us who study the SEC and the securities laws much food for thought. Their methodological focus is on the internal dynamics of the Court’s deliberations, on which they have done detailed and valuable work. The Court did not, however, operate in a vacuum. Intellectual trends in economics and law over the past century can also help us understand the SEC’s fortunes in the federal courts and make predictions about its future.

The Sffa V. Harvard Trojan Horse Admissions Lawsuit, Kimberly West-Faulcon

Seattle University Law Review

Affirmative-action-hostile admissions lawsuits are modern Trojan horses. The SFFA v. Harvard/UNC case—Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, et. al., decided jointly—is the most effective Trojan horse admissions lawsuit to date. Constructed to have the distractingly appealing exterior façade of a lawsuit seeking greater fairness in college admissions, the SFFA v. Harvard/UNC case is best understood as a deception-driven battle tactic used by forces waging a multi-decade war against the major legislative victories of America’s Civil Rights Movement, specifically Title VI and Title VII …

Feeding The Good Fire: Paths To Facilitate Native-Led Fire Management On Federal Lands, Kevin Burdet

Seattle University Law Review

In 2003, nearly twenty Native American reservations were devastated by wildfires that originated on adjacent federal lands. The San Pasqual Reservation’s entire 1,400 acres were burned along with over a third of its homes, and seventy-five percent of the Rincon Reservation was burned, taking twenty homes with it. These devastating fires, along with others in 2002, brought about the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (TFPA), which offered hope for Tribes to propose projects on bordering or adjacent federal lands and protect reservation lands in the process. Unfortunately, twenty years later, the TFPA has had a marginal effect in enabling …

A Hard Pill To Swallow: The Abysmal Mental Health Standards Of Detained Immigrant Children In The United States, Rama Bankesly

Seattle University Law Review

After setting foot into the U.S., unaccompanied children must learn to navigate academic and legal systems while receiving little support and carrying the heavy burden of effects of trauma on their mental health. They need access to mental health care from qualified professionals, but as this Comment will explain, they systematically fail to receive care, as can be seen in cases like Doe v. Shenandoah Valley Juv. Ctr. Comm’n. In Shenandoah, an unaccompanied child arrived in the U.S. and was placed in a facility that failed to provide remotely adequate mental health care and in fact was subjected …

Investor-State Climate Litigation: Could International Investment Law Help To Protect The Climate?, Dr. Andreas Buser

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

Climate Protection and International Investment Law have an ambiguous relationship. Whereas some scholars highlight that investment Law could help in protecting green investments many commentators depict investment protection as an obstacle to States’ climate mitigation policies. This article seeks to go beyond that limited dichotomy in assessing whether investment law could be a tool for investors to argue for more, rather than less climate protection. In particular, full protection and security clauses may well be interpreted to contain due diligence obligations to protect climate sensitive investments against effects of climate change. Moreover, if States postpone climate protection to a time, …

Lost In Translation: The Limits Of Explainability In Al, Hofit Wasserman-Rozen, Ran Gilad-Bachrach, Niva Elkin-Koren

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, regulators are increasingly turning to legal measures, like "a right to explanation," to protect against potential risks raised by AI systems. However, are eXplainable AI (XAI) tools-the artificial intelligence tools that provide such explanations-up for the task?

This paper critically examines XAI's potential to facilitate the right to explanation by applying the prism of explanation's role in law to different stakeholders. Inspecting the underlying functions of reason-giving reveals different objectives for each of the stakeholders involved. From the perspective of a decision-subject, reason-giving facilitates due process and acknowledges human agency. From a decision-maker's perspective, …

Tackling The Thicket: A Comparative Analysis Of Biologic Drugs And Biosimilars In The United States And Abroad, Lauren Cutler

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines the legal and regulatory landscape surrounding biologic drugs and biosimilars in the United States and Europe, focusing on patent protections, litigation trends, and the impact of biosimilar competition on drug pricing. It highlights the challenges posed by patent thickets and evergreening strategies employed by brand-name biologic manufacturers, which delay biosimilar market entry and maintain high drug prices. The analysis underscores the differences in regulatory frameworks and market dynamics between the U.S. and Europe, emphasizing the need for policy reforms to enhance competition and affordability in the biologic market.

Special Challenges In The Execution Of Arbitral Awards In India In Public- Private Partnerships: A Trade Perspective, Srividhya Ragavan, Niraj Kumar Seth

National Law School of India Review

With around 47 million pending cases at various stages of Indian judiciary and one of the lowest levels of judges per million of population in the world, India’s arbitration regime presents a ray of hope for millions of Indians who face the prospect of justice being denied to them due to inordinate delays caused by a clogged judicial pipeline. The enactment of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 was presented as a viable alternative to resolving commercial disputes in a timely manner. This paper uses a case study to discuss how arbitration in India has not fulfilled the timeliness promise …

The ‘Public’ In The ‘Public Interest Test’: Rethinking The Parameters Of The Public Interest Test In India, Archana Subramanian

National Law School of India Review

In recent years, there has been a considerable difference in approach between the relevant anti-dumping investigation agency and the Ministry of Finance when it comes to the imposition of anti-dumping duties in India. This difference revolves around the interpretation of the ‘public interest test’ which requires investigating agencies to consider whether the imposition of anti-dumping duties would be in the larger interest of the public.

WTO law does not offer much guidance in this regard and Members have chosen to adopt different approaches when deciding whether the imposition of an anti-dumping duty is in the public interest. In India, the …

Prohibiting More Subsidies: The Trilateral Statement Vis- À-Vis The Scm Agreement, Manya Gupta, Uravi Pania

National Law School of India Review

This article critically examines the 2020 Joint Trilateral Statement by the US, EU, and Japan proposing additions to the list of prohibited subsidies under the WTO’s Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement). It argues that the proposal to include unlimited guarantees, subsidies to insolvent enterprises, subsidies in sectors with overcapacity, and certain debt forgiveness as prohibited subsidies is problematic for several reasons. First, there is a lack of economic rationale and evidence for blanket prohibition of these subsidies. Second, the language used in defining the proposed subsidies is vague and uncertain, leading to potential misinterpretation and implementation challenges. …

Opening India To International Competition In Government Procurement Markets: Cepa With Uae A Breakthrough?, Jędrzej Górski, Kanishka Bhukya

National Law School of India Review

The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (‘CEPA’) is a landmark in India’s public procurement policy, introducing substantial liberalisation commitments for the first time. Historically insulated from international procurement obligations, India’s previous agreements, such as with Japan, were limited in scope. The CEPA, concluded in 2022, includes Chapter 10, which mandates significant procurement reforms. This article assesses whether the CEPA signifies a transformative change or a minor adjustment. Part II explores the global framework for public procurement under International Economic Law (‘IEL’) and Global Administrative Law (‘GAL’), focusing on the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (‘GPA’) standards. It details GPA’s non-discrimination and …

Corn War: A Trade Fight Between The United States And Mexico, Ernesto Hernández-López

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

An international fight grows over corn. The United States claims that México’s ban on genetically modified (GMO) corn violates the United StatesMexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). México prohibits GMO corn for human consumption. American arguments focus on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, covered in Chapter 9 of the USMCA. A trade panel will review these.

This Essay first describes SPS arguments and relevant trade rules. The United States’ complaints emphasize that México’s ban is excessive, is not consistent with international standards, and mishandles risks. Second, the Essay identifies the obstacles American positions face: weak mandates and deference to México. Chapter 9 of …

Wipo Negotiations On Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources And Associated Traditional Knowledge, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

At the 2000 General Assembly, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) established the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) to address intellectual property issues relating to genetic resources, traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). Although the IGC initially focused its work on studying these issues, it obtained a new mandate to accelerate its work in October 2009 and began text-based negotiations on an international instrument, or international instruments, a few months later. These negotiations paved the way for WIPO to convene a diplomatic conference to conclude an International Legal Instrument Relating …

War & Ip, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

On February 24, 2022, war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, sparking concerns among government leaders, intergovernmental bodies and the public at large. A month later, the Russian government issued Decree 299, which reduced to zero the royalty rate for national security-based compulsory licenses to intellectual property rights held by individuals or entities originating from the United States or other "unfriendly" nations. Meanwhile, the United States and other members of the international community imposed sanctions on Russia, raising questions about whether those sanctions would prevent U.S. companies and individuals from engaging with Russian intellectual property agencies. Many multinational corporations also …

English Company Law: Legal Architecture For A Global Law Market, Andrew P. Morriss, Charlotte Ku

Faculty Scholarship

English-architecture company law describes the distinct and diverse group of company or corporate law used in more than 60 jurisdictions worldwide. English-architecture company law provides a robust platform for innovation and development due to its permissive structure, opportunity for choice of law in an entity’s internal governance, and scalability permitting variation for small and large entities. It is the dominant form among International Financial Centers (IFCs), many of which have legal systems with a British connection. This body of law responds to competition and maintains dynamism by engaging its practice community through “learning by doing” and “frictioneering.” An architecture approach …

Table Of Contents And Masthead, Indian Journal Of International Economic Law

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

No abstract provided.

Regulatory Autonomy And Article Xxiv Of Gatt, Dr. Delroy S. Beckford

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This article focusses on regulatory autonomy in the context of Article XXIV of GATT navigating issues which touch and concern the internal and external liberalisation requirements and their implication for core non-discrimination principles, the Enabling Clause, mutual recognition agreements, and specific disciplines such as trade remedies, SPS measures, TBT measures, and Article XX exceptions. The article proceeds on the premise that these areas of trade coverage offer significant scope for the realisation of regulatory autonomy for countries to fashion their domestic trade policy agenda consistent with their developmental requirements, but questions whether the current state of the jurisprudence is amenable …

Women And Trade In Africa: A Case For Mainstreaming Gender In The Implementation Of The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (Afcfta), Tsotang Tsietsi

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This article seeks to determine the extent to which the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and its protocols accord attention to the barriers and opportunities that African women face in intra-African trade. It discusses the considerable role of African women traders, for example, in agriculture, micro, small and medium enterprises, and in informal cross border trade. It questions whether, in support of their contributions in these sectors, gender has been adequately mainstreamed in the AfCFTA legal framework. Through its analysis of the contents of the instruments, it argues that there was little prioritization of women in the agreement and …

Wto Law And Environmental Processes And Production Methods (Ppms): A Deconstruction, Irene Musselli

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

In principle, WTO members can adopt PPM measures to protect the environment, provided certain conditions are met to prevent the misuse of these measures for protectionist purposes. In practice, the judicial review of such measures in the WTO context is punctuated by practical difficulties, and is fraught with intractable uncertainty: most PPM regulations that were challenged passed on principle but failed on specific details related to the dispute at hand. This article aims to contribute to the PPM discussion by providing critical and deconstructive perspectives on trade law. It argues that the challenges in assessing WTO compliance of PPMs stem …

International Economic Law: Text, Cases, And Materials By Choukroune, L. And Nedumpara, J. (Cambridge University Press, 2022), Suresh Nanwani

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This textbook on International Economic Law (IEL) is the newest addition in this evolving domain written by two academics who share their passion in working on IEL. Leila Choukroune is an academic in Portsmouth University and an expert on IEL and business and human rights. James Nedumpara is also an academic in Jindal Global Law School, India and heads the Center for Trade and Investment Law at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Together, they are co-chairs of the South Asian International Economic Law Network,1 a collaborative network of academics, practitioners and officials interested in IEL (founded in 2017) that …

Climate Defence In Investment Disputes: Azienda Elettrica Ticinese V. Germany And The Paris Agreement, Maria Laura Marceddu, Kanishka Bhukya, Debditya Saha

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This case comment examines Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (AET) v Federal Republic of Germany, the most developed instance to date of a State deploying the Paris Agreement as a central element of its investment defence. The dispute arises from Germany’s 2020 Coal Ban Act and AET’s claims of indirect expropriation and breach of the fair and equitable treatment standard under the Energy Charter Treaty. Germany invokes the Paris Agreement in three distinct ways: as justification for its regulatory measures under the police powers doctrine; as interpretive context for the fair and equitable treatment standard; and, most innovatively, as applicable law …

Does Intellectual Property Promote Or Hinder Sustainability? The Case Of Upcycling, Irene Calboli, Siroos Tanner

Faculty Scholarship

This book chapter explores upcycling and its intricate legal and ethical challenges, addressing the challenges upcycling faces from an IP perspective and highlighting the defenses potentially available to justify the practice.

Students For Fair Admissions: Affirming Affirmative Action And Shapeshifting Towards Cognitive Diversity?, Steven A. Ramirez

Seattle University Law Review

The Roberts Court holds a well-earned reputation for overturning Supreme Court precedent regardless of the long-standing nature of the case. The Roberts Court knows how to overrule precedent. In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), the Court’s majority opinion never intimates that it overrules Grutter v. Bollinger, the Court’s leading opinion permitting race-based affirmative action in college admissions. Instead, the Roberts Court applied Grutter as authoritative to hold certain affirmative action programs entailing racial preferences violative of the Constitution. These programs did not provide an end point, nor did they require assessment, review, periodic expiration, or revision for greater …

Rebalancing International Investment Law, Vera Korzun

Akron Law Faculty Publications

Several reform initiatives are currently ongoing seeking to cure international investment law from its inherent pro-investor bias. To achieve this goal, recent investment treaties contain enhanced provisions on the right to regulate and seek to increase investor compliance in such areas as environmental protection, sustainable development, and corporate social responsibility. Yet, how to reconcile the ongoing reform efforts at the international and regional levels seeking to create a new, rebalanced system of international investment law? How to achieve this proverbial system where interests of foreign investors are protected without encroaching on the rights of the host states? The answers to …

The Future Of The International Financial System: The Emerging Cbdc Network And Its Impact On Regulation, Heng Wang, Simin Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) is a digital form of fiat currency. CBDC has the potential to be a game challenger in the international financial system, bringing increased complexities arising from technology and regulatory considerations, as well as generating greater currency competition. As more states begin exploring CBDC, the interactions between actors may lead to the emergence of a new CBDC network. What shape would the emerging CBDC network take? What would its network effects be? What would be the impact of the CBDC network on the international financial system, or the global financial network? This article explores these questions …

The Geoeconomics Of Belt And Road Disputes: A Case Study On The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Mark Mclaughlin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article argues that the dovetailing economic, geopolitical, and security interests that underpin the Belt and Road Initiative demands a dispute resolution mechanism that focuses on broader interests and legal rights. Using the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a case study, it identifies the conditions in which Chinese investors could have initiated an investment arbitration but did not. This can be explained by the rights-based orientation of investment treaties failing to reflect the interests of multi-project initiatives. Instead, alternative methods of home state intervention, such as state-funded political risk insurance, are used to protect investors. In other words, the political …

The Wto Of The Future: Keeping The Wto Digitally Relevant Through The Jsi On E-Commerce, Qiu Xu Liao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Members of the WTO have long regarded e-commerce as an issue of lesser priority. Though seeking to tackle e-commerce issues since 1998 with a Work Programme, progress on enacting WTO law on the matter has remained largely stagnant. To combat two decades of relative inaction, the Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce was introduced in 2017. Now, within a decade, the JSI has drafted and released a finalised agreement which is now looked towards being integrated into the WTO legal framework. This article explores the history of the JSI, why it has been successful, and how it has overcome previous indifference …

Defining "Healthy" On Food Labels: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, Alexia Brunet Marks

Publications

Few definitions of the mid-twentieth century have survived into the twenty-first century. It is worth asking, then, why the definition of "health," articulated seventy-five years ago by the World Health Organization, has endured into the present. The 1948 definition reads as follows: "[h]ealth is a state of complete physical, mental[,] and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Aspirational in tone, the definition resonates with the surge among consumers towards healthier foods and overall well-being. However, in addition to wartime and pandemic concerns, today's threats to achieving "health" include climate change and a rise in diet-related …