My article, "The Legal Implications of Nearshore Outsourcing to Mexico," has been published in the latest issue of The California International Law Journal. The issue contains three articles on Mexico and one article on IP in the EU. My article is intended for practitioners and provides pragmatic advice and recommendations related to contract enforceability, remedies, arbitral clauses, data privacy, intellectual property, and other legal issues under relevant contract laws, NAFTA, and international commercial and trade agreements. In the same issue, J. Anthony Girolami examines the 2008 Renewable Energy Law in Mexico, its impact on the industry, and how California may benefit from geothermal, wind, and hydroelectric power generated in Mexico. In the third Mexico-focused article, Lizbeth H. Flores identifies eight cultural practices that every cross-border attorney doing business in Mexico should know. Lastly, Robert Cain and Mark Finn provide Part II of their two-part article on protecting intellectual property rights in the European Union. More

One year ago, I wrote a small booklet, "The Evil Dictator's Guide to Genocide: Deliberate Infectious Disease Spread," to accompany a presentation I gave on possible criminal culpability for intentional infectious disease spread. "The Evil Dictator's Guide to Genocide" provides Machiavellian guidance on the benefits, risks, and possible legal consequences of using infectious diseases as weapons against targeted or vulnerable populations. The recent swine flu outbreak, along with my post yesterday discussing the lack of the World Health Organization's enforcement authority, reminded me again of the ease by which an evil leader could take advantage of this latest disease outbreak. Back by popular demand, you can download a copy of the booklet for free. Circulation to evil dictators is prohibited by law. More

The SOLON War Crimes Conference, themed "Retrospectives and Prospects," took place on 19-21 February 2009 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London University, in association with SOLON and The Institute of Historical Research. Reprinted here with permission is the conference report and transcript of the plenary talk by Lesley Abdela. More

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States to constitute a "public health emergency of international concern" under the International Health Regulations, a legally binding international instrument on disease prevention, surveillance, control, and response adopted by 194 countries. Countries with confirmed cases of swine flu are asked to report all probable and confirmed cases and deaths to WHO on a daily basis. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan also called upon all countries to intensify their surveillance and detection of unusual influenza-like outbreaks and cases of severe pneumonia. This discussion explores the International Health Regulations, its provisions for infectious disease containment, what constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and the scope of enforcement authority to thwart a global pandemic. More