Hong Kong's Draft Infant Formula & Complementary Foods Marketing Code Violates WTO Law (Part 3 of 3)

LexisNexis Legal Newsroom International Law, 2013

51 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2014

See all articles by Lawrence A. Kogan

Lawrence A. Kogan

The Kogan Law Group, P.C.; Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development (ITSSD)

Date Written: August 7, 2013

Abstract

This three-part analysis entails a technical review of the WTO-compatibility of the Draft Hong Kong Code of Marketing and Quality of Formula Milk and Related Products, and Food Products for Infants & Young Children ("Draft HK Code"). It reveals that various Draft HK Code provisions are more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve the government's legitimate public policy objectives (i.e., ensuring safe and adequate nutrition by protecting breastfeeding, ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes and supplements, and preventing deceptive product marketing practices). Consequently, the article concludes that the Draft HK Code violates three different World Trade Organization (“WTO”) treaties – the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (“SPS”), Technical Barriers to Trade (“TBT”), and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (“TRIPS”) Agreements.

Part 3 of 3 of this analysis evaluates the compatibility of such rules with the provisions of the WTO TRIPS Agreement.

See also Part 1 of 3, at: http://ssrn.com/abstract= 2411187.

See also Part 2 of 3, at: http://ssrn.com/abstract= 2411200.

Keywords: legitimate public policy objectives, negative trademark rights, positive trademark rights, trademark owner's legitimate interests, justifiable encumbrance, more trademark encumbering than necessary, more trade-restrictive than necessary, risks that non-fulfillment would create

JEL Classification: K23, K32, K33

Suggested Citation

Kogan, Lawrence A., Hong Kong's Draft Infant Formula & Complementary Foods Marketing Code Violates WTO Law (Part 3 of 3) (August 7, 2013). LexisNexis Legal Newsroom International Law, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2411201

Lawrence A. Kogan (Contact Author)

The Kogan Law Group, P.C. ( email )

100 United Nations Plaza
Suite 14F
New York, NY 10017
United States
2126449240 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.koganlawgroup.com

Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development (ITSSD) ( email )

P.O. Box 334
Princeton Junction, NJ NJ 08550-9998
United States
6096587417 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.itssdusa.org

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