Arbitration

Federal Circuit orders stay of district court proceedings in international patent disputes pending arbitration, highlighting federal policy in favor of arbitration, particularly in the international realm

Criminal Law

United States has persuaded two individual states parties to Statute of International Criminal Court to enter into bilateral arrangements with it under Article 98(2) of Statute whereby party agrees not to turn over American service members to ICC without U.S. consent

Economic Sanctions

In response to U.S. safeguards to protect its domestic steel industry, European Union has imposed additional customs duties ranging from 8% to 100% on various U.S. products such as rice, T-shirts, flat-rolled steel products and building structures

Patents

Relying in part on successful patent infringement suit against New York co-conspirator in Wisconsin federal court, plaintiff persuaded Irish Supreme Court to restore Irish co-conspirator to list of active Irish companies in aid of plaintiff's damage suit in Bermuda courts

Topics in Brief

U.S. enacts new "fast-track" trade bill. EU improves framework for international police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters (AGIS). Torture Victims Win U.S. Lawsuit Against Salvadoran Generals. European Union ends investigation of U.S. trade practices as to mustard. Syrian court sentences political reformers to long prison terms. U.S. and Bahrain sign trade and investment agreement. U.S. sanctions Chinese and Indian entities under Iran-Iraq and CBW Acts.

Torts

House of Lords unanimously rules that employees who inhaled asbestos fibers during their jobs with two different companies can recover from both companies since current science made it impossible to detect which companies' fibers had caused their mesotheliomas

Trademarks

In dispute over use of trademark-protected "Barbie doll" in song parody by Danish music group, Ninth Circuit rules that Paris Convention only provides for "national treatment" and does not create uniform substantive law of unfair competition

World Trade Organization

WTO Panel finds that Canada's new milk pricing plan has not, within reasonable time period, properly implemented WTO Panel's report disapproving Canadian subsidies to dairy exports

World Trade Organization

WTO Panels issue two decisions on U.S. measures imposed on imported steel products, disapproving (1) U.S.'s failure to determine on five-year "sunset review" whether German subsidies likely to continue, and (2) omission by U.S. to determine extent of benefit, if any, received by privatized French and Italian formerly state- owned industries