Boxed in? Australia's Plain Tobacco Packaging Initiative and International Investment Law
Arbitration International, Vol. 27, 2011
26 Pages Posted: 27 Jul 2011 Last revised: 25 Oct 2011
Date Written: July 28, 2011
Abstract
This article uses Australia as a case study to identify the issues that may arise in ensuring compliance of plain tobacco packaging measures with international investment law. It explains how the tobacco industry could use investor-state dispute settlement under Australia’s investment protection agreements, as Philip Morris Asia Limited has done in its claim under the Australia-HK bilateral investment treaty. It then considers whether the tobacco industry would satisfy the threshold requirement of having made a relevant investment, before considering whether plain packaging could be considered an expropriation or a breach of the fair and equitable treatment obligation or another investment standard. The article concludes that Australia has strong arguments that plain packaging is consistent with its international investment obligations.
Keywords: international investment law, plain packaging, international law, tobacco, intellectual property, trademarks
JEL Classification: K32, K33, K41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation