Research Guides: Topics in International Law: International Trade Law

Background

The World Trade Organization is an international organization created by the Final Act Embodying the Results of the Uruguay Round of Multinational Trade Agreements. The WTO implements the agreement, provides a forum for negotiating trade agreements and settling policy disputes, and enforces trade rules. The Uruguay Round Final Act and other texts are available on the WTO’s website, as are documents from the most recent Doha Round of trade negotiations.

The WTO website includes:

Legal texts include treaties and agreements, plus the Legal Text Index. WTO documents are arranged as most Recent, Commonly Consulted, By Topic, and to search.
Member pages by country include membership status, goods schedules, trade policy reviews, dispute settlement cases, and notifications.
Dispute Settlement decisions are available by subject, country, or chronologically.

WTO Decisions and Information

Westlaw: WTO-DEC panel decisions

Lexis: See Areas of Law by Topic>International Trade for WTO and GATT Panel Decisions, and other primary and secondary sources on international trade law

Bloomberg BNA: BNA International Trade Reporter, International Trade Daily, and WTO Reporter have cases, news, and current developments, with e-mail alerts of new issues available.

Trade Law Guide Database: Annotated WTO agreements and WTO jurisprudence

The MacMillan Law Library has the following in print::

WTO Dispute Settlement Decisions (Bernan Annotated Reporter, K4600 .A495 W67)

WTO Agreements Series (located in Periodicals)

Other International Trade Resources, Treaties & Dispute Settlement Awards

UNCITRAL : UN Commission on International Trade Law. UNCITRAL’s website has conventions and model laws and the CLOUT database of court decisions and arbitral awards.

UNCITRAL publications are also in Hein Online's United Nations Law Collection , including Conventions, and the Digest of Case Law on the UN Convention on the International Sales of Goods.

OAS (Organization of American States) Free Trade Agreements by country

US Trade Representative Trade Agreements database: Includes WTO treaties, Free Trade Agreements, Trade and Investment agreements, and recent bilateral investment treaties. It also has Dispute Settlement Proceedings from the WTO and other free trade agreements.

Trade.gov (US International Trade Administration): US policy, trade agreements, data, and enforcement and compliance laws and regulations, as well as Trade disputes and US trade enforcement.

State Department: Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for International Claims and Investment Disputes

US Department of the Treasury : Office of Foreign Assets Control: administration and enforcement of economic and trade sanctions

U.S. Census Bureau: Reports and data on U.S. international trade

USCIT (US Court of International Trade)

NAFTA panel decisions

Transnational Dispute Management journal: Articles on international investment law and arbitration, and legal and regulatory documents (laws, regulations, awards) by category or country. Use is limited to the Emory Law School community; ask for assistance at the reference desk.

Hein Online's US International Trade Library : Includes USITC publications, legislative histories, CFR titles 15 and 19, US Code titles 15 and 19, and selected law journal articles.

Tariff Schedules

United States:

USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedules and tariff search tool
Hein Online's International Trade Library : US Harmonized Tariff Schedules, including historical versions

Other countries: