Real World Research: Treaties

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Real World ResearchTreaties

• October 25, 2006
• Marci Hoffmanmhoffman_at_law.berkeley.edu

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Overview

• Definitions
• Public International Law
• Private International Law
• Sources of Law
• Treaties and agreements are primary sources of
  law for both public and private international law

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Public International Law

• Governs the relationships between national
  governments, the relationships between
  intergovernmental organizations, and the
  relationships between national governments and
  intergovernmental organizations.

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Private International Law

• Governs the choice of law to apply when there are
  conflicts in the municipal law of different
  nations related to private transactions between
  those nations. Often known as conflict of laws.
• Topics include contracts, marriage and divorce,
  jurisdiction, recognition of judgments, child
  adoption and abduction.

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Treaties Agreements

• What are treaties?
• Types
• bilateral
• multilateral
• US is a party
• Non-US treaties

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What are Treaties?

• Agreements concluded between States in written
  form and governed by international law.
• Convention, treaty, agreement, covenant, final
  act, charter, memorandums of understanding,
  protocol, pact, accord, constitution.
• Usually different names have no legal
  significance in international law.

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Researching Treaties

• Text of the treaty or agreement
• Status ratification information
• Reservations or declarations
• Domestic implementing legislation
• Background documents or intent (legislative
  history or travaux préparatoires)
• Commentary analysis

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U.S. Treaties

• Executive
• Dept. of State, Treaty Affairs
• Reporting to Congress
• Congress
• Senate, Treaties
• House

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Treaty Indexes

• Treaties in Force
• Treaty Actions
• United States Treaty Index
• Multilateral Treaty Calendar
• United Nations Cumulative Treaty Index
• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the
  Secretary General

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U.S. Treaty Collections

• Print sources
• Treaties and Other International Acts Series
  (T.I.A.S.)
• United States Treaties and Other International
  Agreements (U.S.T.)
• Senate Treaty Documents (S. Treaty Doc.)

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U.S. Treaty Collections

• Electronic Sources
• U.S. Senate Treaty Documents
• Declassified Documents International Agreements
• HeinOnline Treaties Agreements Library
• Treaties International Agreements
• Lexis and Westlaw

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Other U.S. Collections

• Income Tax Treaties (IRS)
• Dept. of Energy
• Trade Agreements (USTR)
• Bureau of International Security and
  Nonproliferation

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Other National Treaty Collections

• Australian Treaties Library
• Pacific Island Treaty Series
• French Treaty Database
• Hong Kong Treaty Project
• Chinese Bilateral Treaties Agreements
• WorldLII (collections by country)

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Multilateral Sources

• United Nations Treaty Series (U.N.T.S.)
• United Nations Treaty Collection
• International Legal Materials (I.L.M)
• European Treaty Series (ETS)
• Avalon Project
• OAS Treaties

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Topical Treaty Collections

• Human Rights Library
• Intellectual Property
• ILOLEX
• Hague Conventions on Private International Law
• International Fisheries Treaty Database

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Status Ratification

• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the
  Secretary General
• Treaties in Force and Treaty Actions
• Web sites
• Secretariat
• Depository
• Journal articles
• Treaty indexes

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Reservations Declarations

• Reservations exclude or modify the legal effect
  of provisions.
• Declarations clarify a State's position.
• Some treaties do not allow reservations.
• Sources
• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the
  Secretary General
• Secretariat web site
• Hague Conventions

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DomesticImplementing Legislation

• National legislation
• New legislation
• DMCA implements two WIPO treaties
• Existing legislation
• Treaty Secretariats
• Chemical Weapons Convention
• Anti-Bribery Convention

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Other Information

• Background or intent
• Negotiation documents
• Preparatory or preliminary documents
• Legislative history
• Uruguay Round Agreements Act A Legislative
  History of Public Law no. 103-465
• See À la Recherche des Travaux Préparatoires

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Other Information

• Interpretation
• Court decisions
• International courts tribunals
• Domestic courts
• Commentary analysis
• Books, see A Commentary on the United Nations
  Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Journal articles

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More on Treaties

• Electronic Information System for International
  Law (EISIL)
• Frequently-Cited Treaties and Other International
  Instruments
• Researching Treaties International Agreements
• ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources

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Citing to Treaties

• A treaty citation should contain
• name of the agreement
• date of signing
• parties (if bilateral)
• subdivision referred to, if applicable
• source(s) for the text of the treaty
• Example Vienna Convention on the Law of
  Treaties, May 23, 1969, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331 8
  I.L.M. 679 (1969)
• See The Bluebook- rule 21.4

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