Multinational businesses have always been affected by major developments in international trade, global risk and geopolitical shifts. The importance of these issues is increasing every day in light of events such as the U.S.-China trade war, the global response to the war in Ukraine, and the risks posed by rogue state actors such as Iran and North Korea.
Continue Reading Nota Bene Podcast Re-Launched to Provide International Law and Policy Insights
After Mahsa Amini was killed in the custody of “Gasht-e-Ershad” or Iran’s Guidance Patrol, commonly referred to as Iran’s morality police, following an arrest for placement of her hijab, protests have erupted throughout Iran over women’s rights and Iran’s authoritarian regime more generally. Iran’s police and other security forces are retaliating severely against protestors. In response to these human rights abuses, on September 22, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Iran’s morality police and senior leaders of Iran’s security organizations for the violence against protesters.
Internet platform providers rely upon developers of applications to populate their application stores. Some platform providers mandate app developers to use the platform’s in-app purchasing system as a condition to sell the apps on the platform. There have also been commission charges as high as 30% imposed on digital goods or services sold through their stores. The temptation to use their enormous leverage to gain further economic advantage is understandable, but governments, not to mention app developers, have taken an increasingly dim view of this behavior. A number of countries are considering legislation to prohibit such mandates by Internet platform providers. A leading example is the Republic of Korea, where its legislature has just voted to enact such a prohibition.
Continue Reading Legislatures Can Free App Developers from Platform Providers’ Mandates to Use Their In-App Purchasing Systems Without Violating WTO Principles
A tripartite agreement to save the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has just been reached. Since June 2017, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have been renegotiating NAFTA. After over a year of negotiations, late on Sunday night, September 30, 2018, Canada agreed to sign the revised agreement. That agreement is called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.
Continue Reading The New NAFTA: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
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By: Thaddeus McBride and Reid Whitten
Under a recent court decision, UK government agencies may be able to shield the names of British companies transacting in Iran, and thereby aid these companies in averting potential consequences of U.S. law.
Continue Reading Mind Your Own Businesses: UK Court Decision May Signal Pushback On Extraterritorial Enforcement of US Trade Laws