The asymmetric effects of exchange rate volatility on US–Pakistan trade flows: new evidence from nonlinear ARDL approach

Economic Change and Restructuring - Earlier studies that examined the response of trade flows to exchange rate volatility relied on the assumption that increased volatility and decreased volatility...     

Exchange rate volatility and regional trade agreements in Southern Africa

Economic Change and Restructuring - Exchange rate volatility is often perceived to cause a reduction in the overall level of trade. In view of the proliferation of rapid regional trade agreements...     

The relationship between street children and the justice system in Egypt

This article examines the relationship between street children and the justice system in Egypt. After introducing the context of street children in the Egyptian case, it explores whether the justice system exacerbates the problem of street children and whether its potential to play a positive part in alleviating the problem should be revisited. The article then explores the basis for the negative perspective on the role of the justice system and the steps required to improve its role in solving the problem of the increasing number of street children. It concludes with a three-pronged approach for the Egyptian justice system to adopt to effectively address the problem of street children. The article is based on an existing knowledge base that is scattered in small-sample empirical studies, large-scale surveys, United Nations reports, newspapers, and a few academic articles written in both English and Arabic.     

商标权与商号权的权利冲突及解决途径

作为商业识别标记，商标与商号不仅用以区别商事主体和商品来源，而且还承载商事主体享有的商业信誉、商品的质量承诺。商标与商号本身具有的宣传和促销功能在激烈的市场竞争中所发挥的效用更是不可低估。随着市场经济发展和竞争加剧，企业为了争夺市场、扩大影响导致了商标权与商号权的权利冲突不断发生且有加剧之势。因此，如何完善商标、商号立法及相互间的协调，寻求商标权与商号权权利冲突……     

US Patent and Trademark Office refuses registration of flavour trade mark

In a case of first impression, the Trademark Trial and AppealBoard of the US Patent and Trademark Office has held that theflavour orange is not registrable for use with quick-dissolvingantidepressant tablets and pills.     

WTO转基因农产品贸易争端与欧盟转基因产品管制立法评析

欧盟转基因产品管制体制经历了15年的历史演变,其间的关注重点可归结为“转基因生物向环境的有意释放”和“转基因食品”两个方面,目前的欧盟转基因产品管制立法则以核准程序、标签和可追踪性为中心。虽然WTO专家组“中期报告”认为欧盟及其成员国对转基因产品的“事实上的禁止”没有符合《SPS协定》的有关要求,也否认了相关的多边环境协定与本案的关联性,但专家组并未对生物技术产品在总体上安全与否做出结论,也没有认定欧盟转基因产品管制体制在总体上与WTO规则相冲突。     

The effects of industry characteristics on the sources of technological product and process innovation

In order to explore the effects of industry characteristics on the sources of technological product and process (TPP) innovation, this paper considers various sources in a united framework, and identifies their cross-industry similarities and differences. It sheds light on three Chinese high technology industries, and empirically confirms that in-house R&D, technology transfer, technology spillover and back-propagation of user innovations are all effective sources of TPP innovation. However, each source creates different productivity in different industries, which may be explained by the following industry characteristics: the dependence on foreign technology, the importance attached to inventive in-house R&D, the level of domestic technology, the relative proportions of foreign and domestic users.     

The overlap between registered Community designs and Community trade marks

Legal context: Community trade marks and registered Communitydesigns have co-existed since April 2003. The relevant Europeanlegislation permits some subject matter to be registered undereither or both of these regimes. Key points In the absence of an express prohibition, it wasperhaps inevitable that the owners of distinctive designs wouldconsider registering them as trade marks and, conversely, thatthe owners of certain non-conventional trade marks might takeadvantage of opportunities for cheap and speedy registrationunder the designs system. The ability to obtain registered Communitydesigns and trade marks for the same subject matter is consideredhere. Practical significance A party seeking to protect the designof a distinctive product shape or its packaging may be ableto register it as a Community trade mark where it has missedthe boat for claiming novelty as a registered design, or wherea pre-existing design right is about to expire. On the otherhand, a distinctive and new logo or get-up which needs quickand cheap protection may benefit from being registered as aCommunity design. Neither the rights owners, nor those againstwhom they seek to assert their rights, should accept the validityof a registered Community design without question since thereis no substantive examination procedure. However, where valid,it can provide a powerful alternative to a trade mark and auseful additional weapon against unfair competition.     

Impacts of realized volatility of oil price over foreign trade related activities in Turkey

Since 1973 oil crises, especially, small open economies have considered sudden and highly volatile movements in currencies and current account deficits. Oil prices have been breaking new historical price records since second quarter of 2014, especially from last quarter of 2015 to first quarter of 2016, which have gradually put pressure on political, geographical, and currencies risks in the Middle East and Eastern European countries. Similarly, because Turkish economy has been experienced serious current account deficit problems especially since 2002, the effect of decline in oil prices and increased volatility has been worth of investigating. For 2003M1–2015M7 period, export–import ratio, real exchange rate index, realized volatility in oil prices calculated based on monthly OPEC basket price, industrial production index, and consumer price index were collected to analyze these effects and causality relationship among these variables. Test results of unit root test with and without structural break, ARDL bound test and co-integration test were sorted out among variables. Initial result is that price volatility increases and total import decreases more sharply than total export after the decline in oil prices; thus, export–import ratio increases. Another is that there is a negative relationship between real exchange rate index and export–import ratio for real economy because of low oil substituents. As expected, inflation has an adverse effect on foreign trade ratio. Consequently, because of lower pressure of energy-induced inflation, economy policy makers will have some ability to change their priorities from inflation issue to other structural problems.     

Out of Africa: The human trade between Libya and Lampedusa

Smuggling and trafficking in persons is ipso facto illegal. Is this criminal activity organised or diffuse? Recent objective indicators show that between 2000-2005 the reported incidence of people trafficking and smuggling from North Africa to Europe has escalated. The article examines the nature of criminality involved in people smuggling and trafficking with specific reference to the sea route between Libya and the Italian island of Lampedusa, 180 miles north of the Libyan coast. In 2006 almost 19,000 illegal migrants arrived on this small island. Recent major operations conducted by the Italian anti-mafia unit and the state police suggest transnational criminal organisation of the trade. The networks involved in this trade, however, do not conform to mafia-like hierarchical organisations but rather smaller, more complex and fluid criminal networks. The article aims to cast light on how people are smuggled and trafficked. The background to the rise in illegal immigration from Libya is sketched underlining the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors involved in the human trade. The article’s chief objective is to provide a greater understanding of the mechanisms and processes involved in smuggling/trafficking. A better knowledge of the processes involved is vital if domestic, regional and international authorities and bodies are to counter the practice and/or to formalise it.     

Information-based trade in Russia and the effects of listing abroad

This paper offers empirical evidence about transaction cost in Russia. After relating empirical measures of information and liquidity to corporate characteristics, competitive theories about cross-listings are tested. Since cross-listings generate competitive effects on transaction costs, potential to affect price discovery exists. The results reveal a lower share of private information for cross-listed firms since more transparent accounting standards reduce the incentives to collect superior information. Robustness for the evidence presented in favor of the legal bonding hypothesis is provided by those firms which list with the highest Russian standards. Measures of information-based trade are lower and the likelihood of listing abroad is significantly higher.     

企业名称冲突的解决原则——“梅兰日兰”商标专用权及不正当竞争纠纷案评析

将他人在先登记的知名字号登记为企业名称中的字号在商品上使用的行为,容易造成相关公众的混淆或误认,损害他人合法权益的,应认定为属于会引人误认为是他人商品的擅自使用他人企业名称的行为,构成不正当竞争。法院在处理这类案件时,应当把握公平合理、诚实信用和保护合法在先权利原则。     

MERCOSUR enlargement: predicting the effects on trade in primary agricultural commodities

This article estimates the effects of a hypothetical enlargement of the Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), depicted by granting MERCOSUR associate member countries a full membership status, on trade in primary agricultural commodities. The empirical investigation is implemented through the multiplicative form of the gravity model. The estimated gravity parameters are used to carry out scenarios that predict the effects of MERCOSUR enlargement on trade in primary agricultural commodities. The predictions reveal that MERCOSUR enlargement would generate significant increases in exports from the full members to the associate members. The predictions also show relatively smaller increases in exports from the associate members to the full members (in value terms), but some important increases in trade among the associate members. Trade diversion effects of MERCOSUR enlargement, which influence trade between full members and from non-member countries to full and associate members, are found to be limited.     

Study on the contest between free trade and trade protection in the current global economic recession: A perspective of public international law

For a long time there has been a contest between free trade and trade protection as the best strategy of promoting local and global economy. When the globe is again in the midst of economic recession, this contest intensifies. The current recession knocks out a severe blow to free trade as the “game rules” of world economy and aggravates the perplexities of free trade in certain aspects, which then arouses suspicion on the legitimacy of free trade. In order to address domestic economic and social problems, the “stimulus packages” of some countries offer much support to trade protection, further intensifying this contest. Confronted with the global economic disaster, trade protection can be helpful for alleviating the pressure in a given economy and thus mitigating domestic contradictions in a short period, but it may also complicate the legal order of trade and bring hindrance to domestic markets as well as international ones, and consequently, it will jeopardize the rights and interests of ordinary consumers and even stir up the grievance and resentment domestically or internationally. As the current economic recession has been a pressing issue for all the countries, there is a dire need for concerted efforts in the globe to stimulate the vigor of world economy and tide over the disaster.     

The relationship between crime and private security at US shopping centers

This paper uses self-report data from the 1993 National Shopping Center Security Survey to examine the growing problem of crime at shopping centers located in the United States. Security managers from 369 shopping centers provided data on crime incidents, private security measures, and numerous shopping center demographic measures. Data are analyzed via LISREL using bivariate regression modeling. Results show that there is no direct relationship between the private security measures at the shopping center and the occurrence of property, violent, or public order crimes on the premises. Instead, private security presence is shaped by the size of the shopping center. Direct effects were also found between the incidence of crime on the premises and the size of the shopping center and the presence of various “problematic” persons (i.e., gangs and loitering groups of youth). Possible implications for shopping center security are considered.