2018 In Review, Achmea, Europe, European Commission, International Investment Arbitration, Intra-EU BITs, Investment, Investment Arbitration, Investment protection, ISDS Reform

(Colibra Insurance)/ /Leave a comment

Very rarely would a single arbitration-related decision produce as significant an impact as the judgment of the Court of Justice of European Union (“EU” and “CJEU” respectively) in the Achmea case did during 2018. We should not doubt that Achmea will remain a cornerstone issue in the world of arbitration for a long period of…

Arbitration, Arbitration Pledge, Diversity, ICDR

(New York International Arbitration Center)/ /Leave a comment
Young ICCA

Begin at the Beginning On November 28, Rapper Jay-Z filed a petition in Manhattan Supreme Court pertaining to an ongoing arbitration administered by the AAA-ICDR.  He sought (i) a temporary restraining order to halt Iconix from pursuing claims in arbitration; (ii) a preliminary injunction staying arbitration for a period of ninety days for the parties…

Belt Road Initiative, BIT, China, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Treaties, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China)/ /Leave a comment

In 2013, China proposed to jointly build the “Belt and Road” Initiative. While the international investment agreements (“IIAs”) proposed to be concluded with China and its counterparties along the “Belt and Road” will provide a robust source of potential investor protections, they must be easily understood among investors, states, and international tribunals. IIAs, as the…

Courts, Functus Officio, USA

, (Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP)/ /Leave a comment

One of the main benefits of arbitrating a dispute is obtaining a final binding award.  A number of principles work to promote this fundamental building block of the arbitration ecosystem. For example, the functus officio doctrine dictates that, once arbitrators have fully exercised their authority to adjudicate the issues submitted to them, their authority over those…

Arbitration, Artificial Intelligence, GDPR

(Sciences Po Arbitration Society)/ /Leave a comment

On the 5th of December 2018, the stake of arbitration amidst the technological evolution was in the spotlight; Sciences Po Law School hosted the first conference of the Arbitration X Technology saga, organized by the Sciences Po Arbitration Society (SPAS), under the framework of the LL.M in Transnational Arbitration and Dispute Settlement (T.A.D.S). The former…

Achmea, BIT, Hungary

(ESSEC Business School, Paris; Paragon Advocacy) and (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest)/ /2 Comments

On 17 December 2018, the Prime Minister of Hungary issued a decision entitled “Decision authorizing the conclusion of an Agreement to terminate bilateral agreements on encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments concluded between governments of certain Member States of the European Union”1)see also  here at p. 35105. The rather succinct Decision confirms the Prime Minister’s approval…

Expedited arbitration, ICC, ICC Arbitration, ICC Rules

(Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle LLP)/ /1 Comment
Young ICCA

Article 30 of the 2017 ICC Rules of Arbitration, along with Appendix VI, constitute the Expedited Procedure Provisions (“Provisions”). These new provisions are among the most notable innovations of the 2017 ICC Rules, and are part of the ICC’s efforts to increase the efficiency and transparency of arbitrations. However, certain aspects of this Provisions may…

Admissibility, Enforceability, Multi-tiered clauses, Pakistan, Pre-arbitral procedure

(Cornelius Lane & Mufti)/ /Leave a comment
Young ICCA

Pre-arbitration procedural requirements come into operation before the commencement of arbitration proceedings where parties have agreed on a multi-tiered dispute resolution mechanism. They are especially common in construction and engineering contracts. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Pakistan has addressed issues related to the nature of these requirements and consequences of non-compliance in its recent…

Confidentiality, Hong Kong

(Herbert Smith Freehills)/ /Leave a comment
Herbert Smith Freehills

Confidentiality is frequently promoted as a key advantage of international arbitration.  It preserves the information exchanged in the arbitration proceedings and prevents the parties from disclosing information relating to the arbitration.  The extent of confidentiality afforded to the parties varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  In certain jurisdictions, the law does not recognise the concept of…

Arbitration, Interview

(Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP) and (King & Spalding)/ /Leave a comment
WilmerHale

On 23 October, Gary Born participated in a Fireside Chat titled “How to Become a Star in International Arbitration in Five (Easy?) Steps, and is it Still Possible?”. The interview took place in Moscow and was conducted by Sergey Usoskin of Double Bridge Law, and Mikhail Kalinin of Norton Rose Fulbright. It was moderated by Alexandra…

Emergency Arbitrator, ICC, ICC Rules, LCIA Arbitration, LCIA Rules, SIAC, Singapore International Arbitration Centre

(Clayton Utz) and (Simmons & Simmons)/ /1 Comment
Hogan Lovells

Emergency arbitrator (“EA”) applications are fast gaining popularity among both arbitral institutions and international arbitration users. EA provisions were first introduced in the 2010 SIAC Rules to address the need for emergency interim relief before a tribunal is constituted, and many arbitral institutions have adopted relatively similar EA procedures over the past decade. For example,…

Arbitrability, Arbitration Awards, China, ICDR, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Tax

(Xiamen Intermediate People's Court of People's Republic of China)/ /Leave a comment

On 12 June 2018, the Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court of PRC (“Court”), in Subway International B.V. v Xiamen Woguan Enterprise Management Co., Ltd, upheld an ICDR award made by sole arbitrator Charles J. Moxley Jr., Esq.1)The author would like to thank Judge Chen Yanzhong of Xiamen Maritime Court for his comments on the earlier drafts of…

Awards, Due process, Iura Novit Curia

(Navarro Sologuren, Paredes, Gray Attorneys at Law)/ /1 Comment

The discussion about whether and how the arbitral tribunals can apply the iura novit arbiter (INA) principle has been widely debated in different studies of international arbitration. INA allows the arbitrator to amend and to replace wrongly invoked law or the law not invoked by the parties. However, the arbitrator cannot go beyond the request,…

Canada, European Union, Latin America, Mexico, NAFTA, USA, USMCA

(IÉSEG )/ /Leave a comment

On Friday December 7th, a distinguished panel of government negotiators, experienced investment arbitrators and senior legal advisors gathered in Paris at the law faculty of the University Paris II Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) to discuss the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) also called the “New NAFTA” signed on November 30th. The panel was held as part of…

2018 In Review, Arbitration Quiz, New Year Arbitration Quiz

(MDisputes), (Stockholm University), and (Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School)/ /Leave a comment

The Kluwer Arbitration Blog thanks everyone who responded to the New Year Arbitration Quiz, and have decided that all those who responded will receive free subscriptions to this blog for 12 months.1) It is true that the Kluwer blog is already free. In keeping with the theme of arbitration, however, we felt our award should…

India, Limitation period, Set aside an arbitral award

/ /1 Comment

INTRODUCTION It is fairly known that the Indian Limitation Act, 1963 (the Limitation Act) constitutes “general law” for Time Periods and its computation. Section 29(2) of the said Act contains the fundamental rule that provisions of Limitation Act would apply for computation of time period prescribed by any special law only to the extent it…

Arbitrability, Arbitration Agreement, India, kompetenz-kompetenz

, (National Law University, Jodhpur)/ /Leave a comment

Section 16 (1) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 [“the Indian Act”] confers power upon the arbitral tribunal to decide on matters relating to its jurisdiction. Under section 16 (5), a decision accepting the plea of lack of jurisdiction shall be an appealable order; while decision rejecting the same plea can be challenged only…

Appeal, Awards, Brazil, Brazilian Arbitration Act, Queen Mary- White & Case Survey

(Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan UK LLP) and , (Andrade & Fichtner Advogados)/ /Leave a comment

Recently, the 2018 White & Case International Arbitration Survey confirmed London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Geneva, New York and Stockholm as the most in-demand places for arbitration in the world. Brazil is well represented by São Paulo – the economic hub of the country – which occupied eighth place in the overall ranking. This result…

Appellate Body, Arbitration, Dispute Settlement, GATT, International Trade Agreements, Trade, WTO

(University of Sharjah (UAE))/ /Leave a comment

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was born on January 1, 1995 and its Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU) provides a binding means for WTO members to resolve disputes arising under WTO agreements.  This post summarizes WTO DSU dispute settlement and considers, whether in light of recent developments, article 25…

Appeal, Arbitration, BIT, Crimea, India, ISDS, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine

(von Segesser Law Offices)/ /Leave a comment

In a marked departure from its usual closed-doors policy, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (the “Supreme Court”) recently held public deliberations in two separate appeal proceedings concerning foreign investment arbitrations. In both cases, a public deliberation by all five judges of the first civil chamber was necessitated due to the lack of unanimity among the…

Arbitral Tribunal, Costs, Experts

(Durham Law School) and (Penn State Law and Dickinson School of Law)/ /Leave a comment

Arbitration in the 21st Century requires some bold, fresh thinking.  We must seek flexibility and innovation if legal civilization is to survive. 1) Thomas E. Carbonneau, The Law and Practice of United States Arbitration, xxix (6th. ed. 2018) Similarly,  when the market speaks strongly, we should  listen very carefully. We believe that open and free…

Africa, Appointment of arbitrators, Arbitration, ICC, ICC Arbitration, Latin America, São Paulo

(University of Aberdeen )/ /Leave a comment

The endeavours of the ICC go beyond the definition of an arbitration institution; it is indeed one of the most important agents of cultural integration, incubator of diversity and best arbitration practices. 1)Stavros Brekoulakis, The Culture in International Arbitration: Integration or Fragmentation?, CBAr Conference, Salvador Bahia, 18 September 2018 A true manifestation of this is the…

Arbitral seat, Hong Kong, Singapore

(Gary Benton Arbitration)/ /1 Comment

Hong Kong v. Singapore. It’s not the next big football match or title of an upcoming Japanese monster film. It’s the question of where to bring international arbitration claims in Asia. It’s a topic whispered at cocktail receptions and routinely reserved for hushed discussion in law firm conference rooms. It’s the topic rarely if ever…

Additional Award, Allocation of costs, Arbitrability, Arbitral Award, Arbitration, Arbitrator's Fees, Arbitrators, Dispute, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law

, , (Signature Litigation)/ /1 Comment

A little under ten years ago Sir Rupert Jackson proposed significant reforms to reduce the costs of litigation in England and Wales. It is fair to say that while his reforms have received both praise and criticism over the past decade, they are largely considered to have been a success in curtailing the costs of…