Real World Research:Real World Research:Treaties Treaties

October 25, 2006October 25, 2006

Marci HoffmanMarci Hoffmanmhoffman@law.berkeley.edumhoffman@law.berkeley.edu

OverviewOverview

DefinitionsDefinitions• Public International LawPublic International Law• Private International LawPrivate International Law

Sources of LawSources of Law• Treaties and agreements are primary Treaties and agreements are primary

sources of law for both public and private sources of law for both public and private international lawinternational law

Treaties & AgreementsTreaties & Agreements

What are treaties?What are treaties? TypesTypes

• bilateralbilateral• multilateralmultilateral

US is a party US is a party Non-US treatiesNon-US treaties

Researching TreatiesResearching Treaties

Text of the treaty or agreementText of the treaty or agreement Status & ratification informationStatus & ratification information Reservations or declarationsReservations or declarations Domestic implementing legislationDomestic implementing legislation Background documents or intent Background documents or intent

(legislative history or travaux préparatoires)(legislative history or travaux préparatoires) Commentary & analysisCommentary & analysis

U.S. TreatiesU.S. Treaties

ExecutiveExecutive• Dept. of State, Dept. of State, Treaty AffairsTreaty Affairs

Reporting to Congress Reporting to Congress

CongressCongress• Senate, TreatiesSenate, Treaties• HouseHouse

Treaty IndexesTreaty Indexes

Treaties in ForceTreaties in Force• Treaty ActionsTreaty Actions

United States Treaty IndexUnited States Treaty Index Multilateral Treaty CalendarMultilateral Treaty Calendar United Nations Cumulative Treaty IndexUnited Nations Cumulative Treaty Index Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the

Secretary GeneralSecretary General

U.S. Treaty CollectionsU.S. Treaty Collections

Print sourcesPrint sources• Treaties and Other International Acts SerieTreaties and Other International Acts Serie

ss (T.I.A.S.)(T.I.A.S.)

• United States Treaties and Other United States Treaties and Other International AgreementsInternational Agreements (U.S.T.) (U.S.T.)

• Senate Treaty DocumentsSenate Treaty Documents (S. Treaty Doc.) (S. Treaty Doc.)

U.S. Treaty CollectionsU.S. Treaty Collections

Electronic SourcesElectronic Sources• U.S. Senate Treaty DocumentsU.S. Senate Treaty Documents• Declassified Documents: International AgreemDeclassified Documents: International Agreem

ents ents • HeinOnlineHeinOnline: Treaties & Agreements Library: Treaties & Agreements Library• Treaties & International Agreements Treaties & International Agreements • Lexis and WestlawLexis and Westlaw

Other U.S. CollectionsOther U.S. Collections

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

Nonproliferation Nonproliferation

Other National Treaty CollectionsOther National Treaty Collections

Australian Treaties LibraryAustralian Treaties Library Pacific Island Treaty SeriesPacific Island Treaty Series French Treaty DatabaseFrench Treaty Database Hong Kong Treaty ProjectHong Kong Treaty Project Chinese Bilateral Treaties & AgreemeChinese Bilateral Treaties & Agreeme

ntsnts WorldLIIWorldLII (collections by country) (collections by country)

Multilateral SourcesMultilateral Sources

United Nations Treaty SeriesUnited Nations Treaty Series (U.N.T.S.) (U.N.T.S.) United Nations Treaty CollectionUnited Nations Treaty Collection International Legal MaterialsInternational Legal Materials (I.L.M) (I.L.M) European Treaty SeriesEuropean Treaty Series (ETS) (ETS) Avalon ProjectAvalon Project OAS TreatiesOAS Treaties

Topical Treaty CollectionsTopical Treaty Collections

Human Rights LibraryHuman Rights Library Intellectual Property Intellectual Property ILOLEXILOLEX Hague Conventions on Private InternatiHague Conventions on Private Internati

onal Lawonal Law International Fisheries Treaty DatabaseInternational Fisheries Treaty Database

Status & RatificationStatus & Ratification

Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary GeneralSecretary General

Treaties in ForceTreaties in Force and and Treaty ActionsTreaty Actions Web sites Web sites

• SecretariatSecretariat• DepositoryDepository

Journal articlesJournal articles Treaty indexesTreaty indexes

Reservations & DeclarationsReservations & Declarations Reservations exclude or modify the legal Reservations exclude or modify the legal

effect of provisions. effect of provisions. Declarations clarify a State's position.Declarations clarify a State's position. Some treaties do not allow reservationsSome treaties do not allow reservations.. SourcesSources

• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary GeMultilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary Generalneral

• Secretariat web siteSecretariat web site Hague ConventionsHague Conventions

DomesticDomesticImplementing LegislationImplementing Legislation

National legislation National legislation • New legislationNew legislation

DMCA implements two WIPO treaties DMCA implements two WIPO treaties

• Existing legislationExisting legislation Treaty SecretariatsTreaty Secretariats

• Chemical Weapons ConventionChemical Weapons Convention• Anti-Bribery ConventionAnti-Bribery Convention

Other InformationOther Information Background or intentBackground or intent

• Negotiation documentsNegotiation documents• Preparatory or preliminary documentsPreparatory or preliminary documents• Legislative historyLegislative history

Uruguay Round Agreements Act: A Uruguay Round Agreements Act: A Legislative History of Public Law no. Legislative History of Public Law no. 103-465103-465

See See À la À la RechercheRecherche des des TravauxTravaux PréparatoiresPréparatoires

Other InformationOther Information

InterpretationInterpretation• Court decisions Court decisions

International courts & tribunalsInternational courts & tribunals Domestic courtsDomestic courts

• Commentary & analysisCommentary & analysis Books, seeBooks, see A Commentary on the A Commentary on the

United Nations Convention on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the ChildRights of the Child

Journal articlesJournal articles

More on TreatiesMore on Treaties

Electronic Information System for InternElectronic Information System for International Lawational Law (EISIL) (EISIL)

Frequently-Cited Treaties and OtheFrequently-Cited Treaties and Other International Instrumentsr International Instruments

Researching Treaties & International AgResearching Treaties & International Agreementsreements

ASIL Guide to Electronic ResourcesASIL Guide to Electronic Resources

Citing to TreatiesCiting to Treaties

A treaty citation should contain:A treaty citation should contain:• name of the agreementname of the agreement• date of signingdate of signing• parties (if bilateral)parties (if bilateral)• subdivision referred to, if applicablesubdivision referred to, if applicable• source(s) for the text of the treaty source(s) for the text of the treaty • Example: Vienna Convention on the Law of Example: Vienna Convention on the Law of

Treaties, May 23, 1969, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331; 8 Treaties, May 23, 1969, 1155 U.N.T.S. 331; 8 I.L.M. 679 (1969)I.L.M. 679 (1969)

See See The BluebookThe Bluebook- rule 21.4 - rule 21.4