Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (LexBlog Australia)
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WTO Declines to Find Australia’s Tobacco Product Packaging Restrictions Inconsistent with Trade Rules
Last week, a WTO dispute settlement panel ruled that Australia’s plain packaging rules for tobacco products do not violate WTO rules. In April 2012, Honduras requested consultations with Australia at the WTO over Australia’s 2011 law banning logos, trademarks, and other distinctive packaging for tobacco products in favor of uniform-color packages with health-related warnings and...
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Will the U.S. Re-Join the (CP)TPP?
On February 21, the final version of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (“CPTPP”) was released ahead of its official signing, which is scheduled for March 8, 2018. The CPTPP reduces tariffs between 11 nations: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The economies of these nations...
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Wine Wars: Australia takes Canada to WTO Alleging Discriminatory Rules Governing Wine Sales
On January 12, 2018, Australia brought a historical first WTO trade dispute against Canada. The request for consultations alleges that the Canadian Government and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia (“B.C.”), Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia discriminated against imported Australian wine by maintaining discriminatory trade measures governing the sale of wine. The alleged discriminatory...
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Australian Court Imposes $3 Million Penalty for Product Safety Violations
Earlier this month, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) reminded businesses that, in February, the Federal Court of Australia ordered Woolworths to pay $3.057 million AUD for several violations of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA). Specifically, the court found that Woolworths: Over the course of three years, made false or misleading representations about the safety..