Latest blog articles

  • Reservations over the Netherlands Commercial Court

    On 18 July 2017 the Government submitted a proposal for the establishment of the Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC). In brief, the proposal provides for the establishment of a court (and appellate court) before which parties can litigate in the English language. According to the proposal, the NCC...

    Law
    Netherlands Commercial Court
  • Whose sovereignty is it, anyway? Catalonia vs Spain

    The wishes of the Spanish government and those of the Catalan people are diametrically opposed: 90% of voters in the referendum were for independence - but keep in mind also that only about half of the Catalan people voted.

    Law
    Catalonia_is_not_Spain
  • How to break the impasse over appellate body nominations

    To avoid the collapse of the WTO dispute settlement system, and thwart any attempt to hold it hostage, WTO members could make use of an oft-overlooked legal provision allowing for arbitration as an alternative to adjudication before the appellate body.

    Law
    United_states_court_of_international_trade
  • Myth: Illegal downloading is here to stay

    Where in 2010, about 40 per cent of the population downloaded music, the figure is now a quarter, partly because of the arrival of Spotify. The best strategy to avoid illegal downloading, according to Bastiaan Leeuw, is a mixture of punishment and temptation.

    Law
    illegal_downloading
  • AARON cannot be Warhol

    On Friday, 8th September, Ana Ramalho, assistant professor of Intellectual Property Law, delivered a lecture during the Festival of Pleasure, Arts and Science (PAS), at the Faculty of Law, entitled “Can AARON be Warhol?”, in which she examined if copyright should be awarded to artificial...

    Law
    Fractal-computer art_MLR
  • Bitter victory

    The 2017 federal parliamentary election heralds a sharp departure from the post-war consensus.

    Law
    Merkel_elections_Schleswig-Holstein
  • The State of the European Union debate 2017, part 1

    A new perspective? What specific plans and suggestions has Juncker to encounter a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe? Are his plans realistic and do these proposals respond effectively to the issues of democracy and legitimacy? (Dutch only)

    Law
    State of the European Union_Juncker
  • Aimless, rudderless, clueless

    The United Kingdom’s Brexit strategy is increasingly being revealed for being based on wishful thinking, not facts, with devastating consequences for the upcoming talks.

    Law
    Theresa May_MLR
  • Divided reactions to ECJ ruling on mandatory refugee relocation schemes

    The judgment of the European Court of Justice to relocate refugees was met with dividing reactions by the complainant countries. Overall, only 28.242 out of the intended 160.000 refugees have been relocated from Greece (19.702) and Italy (8540) under the scheme so far.

     

    Law
    European Court of Justice_human rights
  • Opinion 2/15 and EU competence for common commercial policy

    Broad ‘EU-only’ trade agreements can constitute the new normal of EU external trade action, only if such agreements exclude portfolio investment and investor-state dispute settlement provisions from their scope.

    Law
    Port_of_singapore_keppel_terminal