Professor Timothy Meyer
Tele: 706-542-5433
Email: tlmeyer@uga.edu
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
Center for American and International Law
Objectives:
International business considerations are the most common international problems faced
by practicing lawyers. In a globalized economy, clients ranging from small businesses to
Fortune 100 companies regularly seek legal advice on how to structure international sales
transactions, joint business ventures, and corporate subsidiaries in foreign countries. Advising
clients on these issues requires an understanding of the legal rules that establish the framework
for international business relationships. The primary purposes of this course are to 1) develop an
understanding of the commercial aspects of international business transactions; 2) develop an
appreciation for the law governing such transactions; 3) develop an understanding of the policy
concerns animating that law; and 4) develop skills in applying the law in the context of concrete
client advice.
All “problems” below refer to the similarly-named problem found in the “Problems for
International Business Transactions” handout. Other handouts can be found in the handouts
folder.
Course Overview (Subject to Change):
I.
Introduction (DAY 1, MORNING)
A. The Business Problem: Taking Your Business Global
B. The Legal Framework: An Overview of International Economic Law
a. Public International Law and the Modern International Trade Regime
i. The Multilateral System: The GATT/WTO
Weblinks:
GATT 1947
http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/gatt47_01_e.htm
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization
https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/legal_e.htm
https://www.wto.org/ENGLISH/res_e/booksp_e/agrmntseries1_wto_e.pdf
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Handouts:
Chart 1: Shares of World GDP
ii. Free Trade Areas and Customs Unions
Chart 2: Free Trade Agreements and Customs Unions Listed by Date of Entry
into Force, 1948-2008
NAFTA: A Free Trade Area
Weblink:
http://www.worldtradelaw.net/fta/agreements/nafta.pdf
The European Union: A Customs Union
European Union Consolidated Treaties and Charter of Fundamental Rights
Weblink: http://europa.eu/pol/pdf/qc3209190enc_002.pdf
b. “Private International Law” and the Tools of Harmonization
i. Treaties (e.g., the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale
of Goods)
ii. Supranational Directives (e.g., EU Directives)
iii. Statutes (e.g., the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Carriage of Goods by
Sea Act)
iv. Models Laws (e.g., UNCITRAL Model Law on Commercial Arbitration)
v. Private Codifications (e.g., INCOTERMS, the Uniform Customs and
Practice “UCP” 600)
II.
The International Sale of Goods
A. Overview of the International Sale of Goods
Handout:
Diagram of an International Documentary Sale, and
Diagram of an International Documentary Sale Subject to a Letter of Credit
B. Commercial Trade Terms: INCOTERMS (DAY 1, AFTERNOON)
Problem: INCOTERMS
Handout: INCOTERMS
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C. International Sale Contracts: The UN Convention on Contracts for the
International Sale of Goods (CISG)
Problem: UNCISG
Weblinks:
UNCISG Text
http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/treaty.html
UNCISG, Parties & Reservations
http://www.cisg.law.pace.edu/cisg/countries/cntries.html
Uniform Commercial Code
http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc
Handouts: UNCISG v. UCC
D. Financing the International Sale of Goods: International Letter of Credit Law
(DAY 2, MORNING)
Problem: Letter of Credit Law
Handout:
Uniform Customs & Practices (UCP) 600
Standby Letters of Credit
Handouts:
III.
Standby Letter of Credit (in a Nutshell)
Standby Letter That...Israel
Standby Letter That...Spacecom
Foreign Direct Investment
A. International Investment Law (DAY 3, MORNING)
Problem: International Investment Law
Handouts:
2012 U.S. Model Bilateral Investment Treaty
B. Corruption and Anti-Bribery (DAY 3, AFTERNOON)
Problem: Foreign Corrupt Practice Act
Handout:
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The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Weblinks:
OECD Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign Government
Officials in International Business Transactions
http://www.oecd.org/corruption/oecdantibriberyconvention.htm
UN Convention Against Corruption
http://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNCAC/Publications/Convention/0850026_E.pdf.
ASSESSMENT: 30 MINUTE MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM
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