Real World Research: Treaties

1. Real World Research:Treaties October 25, 2006 Marci Hoffmanmhoffman@law.berkeley.edu

2. 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

3. Treaties & Agreements • What are treaties? • Types • bilateral • multilateral • US is a party • Non-US treaties

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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.)

8. 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

9. Other U.S. Collections • Income Tax Treaties (IRS) • Dept. of Energy • Trade Agreements (USTR) • Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation

10. 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)

11. 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

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

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

14. 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

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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