Issues In International Commercial Law

Originally published in 2005. It is now possible to identify, within the discipline of law, a distinct body of international commercial law. This engaging book consists of a wide-ranging series of essays which demonstrates the breadth and scope of the subject matter of international commercial law. Many of the themes identified bridge both national and international commercial law. The volume consists of three parts: Credit and Security; Contractual Issues; International Commercial Regulation. It is evident that international commercial law is concerned with private and public law within which there are particular disciplines ranging from banking law, e-commerce, intellectual property, insolvency and increasingly international regulation through criminal law extending beyond frontiers.

This text presents a collection of articles detailing issues pertinent to the law of international trade, business and investment. Topics include a review of the U.S. export policies, the EEC and international trade, aspects of antitrust law, the effectiveness of the GATT, arbitration in international contracts, legal constraints on multinationals and more.

Over the last half-century, as UNCITRAL official, professor, arbitrator and father of the Willem C. Vis Arbitration Moot, Eric Bergsten has been at the forefront of progress in international commercial arbitration. Now, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, the international arbitration and sales law community has gathered to honour him with this substantial collection of new essays on the many facets of the field to which he continues to bring his intellect, integrity, inquisitive nature, eye for detail, precision, and commitment to public service. Celebrating the long-standing and sustained contribution Eric Bergsten has made in international commercial law, international arbitration, and legal education, more than fifty colleagues – among them quite a few of the best-known arbitrators and arbitration academics in the world – present 45 pieces that, individually both engaging and incisive, collectively present a thorough and far-reaching account of the state of the field today, with contributions covering international sales law, commercial law, commercial arbitration, and investment arbitration. In addition, nine essays on issues in legal education mirror the great importance of the renowned Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Eric’s Vienna project which has offered a life-changing experience for so many young lawyers from all over the world.

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of non-state rules in international commercial law. Having established what they are and how their legal authority can be measured, it looks at their application in courts and establishes benchmarks against which the legal authority of non-state rules can be measured.

This book explores the changing nature of international law and its ability to respond to the contemporary issues related to international environment, trade and information technology. The evolution of international law has reached a stage where we are witnessing diminishing power of the state and its capacity to deal with the economic matters challenging the existing notions of territory and sovereignty. Recent trends in international law and international relations show that states no longer have exclusive control over the decision-making process at the global level. Keeping this in mind, the book brings together the perspectives of various international and national scholars. The book considers diverse issues such as, sustainable development, climate change, global warming, Rio+20, technology transfer, agro-biodiversity and genetic resource, authority for protection of environment, human right to water, globalization, human rights, sui generis options in IP laws, impact of liberalization on higher education, regulation of international trade, intellectual property rights, collective administration of copyright, broadcast reproduction rights, implementation of copyright law, communication rights under copyright law, arbitration for IP disputes, doctrine of exhaustion of rights, trans-border reputation of trademark, information as an asset, cyber obscenity and pornography, e-governance, taxation of e-commerce, computer crime, information technology, domain names, research excellence in legal education, ideological perspective on legal education, challenges for law teachers, and clinical legal education. The topics, though diverse, are closely interrelated, with the common concern throughout being that the global environment, international trade, information technology and legal education need appropriate national normative and institutional responses as well as the global cooperation of members of the international community. Presenting reflections of a number of Asian, African and European scholars on these varied facets, the book is of great value to scholars, practitioners, teachers and students associated with contemporary international law.

This indispensable book offers a concise comparative introduction to international commercial arbitration (ICA). With reference to recent case law from leading jurisdictions and up-to-date rules revisions, International Commercial Arbitration offers a thorough overview of the issues raised in arbitration, from the time of drafting of the arbitration clause to the rendering of the arbitral award and the post-award stage.