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Dispute Settlement

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Dispute settlement is based on the principles contained in Article XXIII of GATT. Panels are established to consider a dispute after other procedures, such as consultations, fail. The sources listed below contain the full text or summaries of panel decisions.

Basic Instruments and Selected Documents (BISD) (Geneva: GATT, 1953-). Also available on LexisNexis.

[WTO] Basic Instruments and Selected Documents (Lanham, MD: Bernan Press, 2003-).

Handbook of WTO/GATT Dispute Settlement (Irvigton-on-Hudson, New York : Transnational Juris Publications, 1991-).

International Trade Law Reports (London: Cameron May, 1996-). Contains some commentary.

International Trade Reporter (Washington, D.C.:BNA, 1954-). Also available on LexisNexis, Westlaw, and on the BNA publications database through the Law Library web site.  Mostly summaries. (UCB only).

Summaries are published in the Federal Register (Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register, 1936-).

Law and Practice of the World Trade Organization (New York: Oceana, 1995-). Also available electronically.

World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Decisions: Bernan's Annotated Reporter (Lanham, MD: Bernan Press, 1998-). This set is annotated and is not considered official.

Dispute Settlement Reports (Cambridge; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press ; [Geneva] : World Trade Organization, 2000-).  This set is not annotated and is considered the "official" WTO version.

WTO Dispute Settlement web site. Access is available in a variety of ways: by subject, country, chronologically, and by searching. Information on the process is also available. The Analytical Index also provides access to the jurisprudence of the WTO.

Organization of American States Foreign Trade Information System, GATT reports (1948-1994) and
WTO reports (1996-2003).

Worldtradelaw.net. All of the GATT and WTO panel dispute settlement reports are available from this site in PDF (freely available). You can search all of the GATT and WTO reports using one convenient search mechanism. Of particular interest are the dispute settlement commentaries (UCB only). These documents summarize and provide detailed analysis of all WTO Panel and Appellate Body Reports.

WTO - Dispute Panel Decisions (World Trade Online) (UCB only). These documents summarize and provide detailed analysis of all WTO Panel and Appellate Body Reports.

LexisNexis -- select "International Trade" or "International Law" from the Source Directory. (UCB only). Contains both GATT and WTO reports.

Westlaw -- select "International/Worldwide Materials" from the Directory, then click on "Multi-National Materials" and then click on "Legislation." Contains both GATT and WTO reports.

Originally prepared by Ellen Schaffer. Completely revised and expanded by Marci Hoffman, International and Foreign Law Librarian, UC Berkeley Law Library. Revised August 2006.

email: webmaster-library@law.berkeley.edu Last modified on August 07, 2005.