12. Means of Taking into Consideration the Context and the Possible Codification

Briefly about the background of the case: Several states in the United States ban internet gambling and some federal laws restrict the use of technology associated with internet gambling. The United States’ service commitment as reflected in its schedule of specific commitment indicates under the heading of “Other Recreational Services (except sporting)” that there is no limitation on market access. The Panel found that the United States’ schedule of specific commitments has been interpreted to include specific commitments for gambling and betting services under the sub-sector entitled “Other Recreational Services (except sporting)”. The Appellate Body upheld the Panel’s finding with different reasoning that the United States’ Schedule includes a commitment to grant market access in gambling and betting services. The Appellate Body disagreed with the Panel’s designation of two documents (i.e. W/120 and the 1993 Scheduling Guidelines) as “context” for the interpretation of Members’ Schedules and considered these as “preparatory work” (which are supplementary means of interpretation under VCLT Article 32. See the case summary of the WTO at https://​www.​wto.​org/​english/​tratop_​e/​dispu_​e/​cases_​e/​ds285_​e.​htm. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.

See Oxford Living Dictionaries, at https://​en.​oxforddictionari​es.​com/​definition/​sport. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.

See The Free Dictionary. http://​www.​thefreedictionar​y.​com/​gambling. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.

Appellate Body Report, United States—Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services, para. 166, WTO Doc. WT/DS285/AB/R, WT/DS285/AB/R/Corr.1 (adopted 20 Apr 2005) [hereinafter US—Gambling Appellate Body Report].

Appellate Body Report, China—Measures Affecting Trading Rights and Distribution Services for Certain Publications and Audiovisual Entertainment Products, paras. 387–388, WTO Doc. WT/DS363/AB/R (adopted 19 Jan 2010).

Pane Report, European Communities—Customs Classification of Frozen Boneless Chicken Cuts—Complaint by Thailand, para. 7.105, WTO Doc. WT/DS286/R (adopted 27 Sept 2005).

Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Customs Classification of Frozen Boneless Chicken Cuts, para. 176, WTO Doc. WT/DS269/AB/R, WT/DS286/AB/R, WT/DS269/AB/R/Corr.1, WT/DS286/AB/R/Corr.1 (adopted 27 Sept 2005) [hereinafter EC—Chicken Cuts Appellate Body Report].

Appellate Body Report, China—Measures Affecting Imports of Automobile Parts, para. 151, WTO Doc. WT/DS339/AB/R, WT/DS340/AB/R, WT/DS342/AB/R (adopted 12 Jan 2009).

Appellate Body Report, United States—Definitive Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties on Certain Products from China, para. 325, WTO Doc. WT/DS379/AB/R (adopted 25 Mar 2011) [hereinafter US—Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties (China) Appellate Body Report].

Appellate Body Report, Canada—Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector/ Measures Relating to the Feed-In Tariff Program, para. 5.57, WTO Doc. WT/DS412/AB/R, WT/DS426/AB/R (adopted 24 May 2013).

GATT Article III is about “national treatment” requirement. Article III:8(a) is an exception to the national treatment requirement. It provides: “The provisions of this Article shall not apply to laws, regulations or requirements governing the procurement by governmental agencies of products purchased for governmental purposes and not with a view to commercial resale or with a view to use in the production of goods for commercial sale”.

For instance, Footnote 1 of the Agreement on Agriculture is to define the scope of the phrase “any measures of the kind which have been required to be converted into ordinary customs duties” provided in Article 4.2. Footnote 1 reads: “These measures include quantitative import restrictions, variable import levies, minimum import prices, discretionary import licensing, non-tariff measures maintained through state-trading enterprises, voluntary export restraints, and similar border measures other than ordinary customs duties, whether or not the measures are maintained under country-specific derogations from the provisions of GATT 1947, but not measures maintained under balance-of-payments provisions or under other general, non-agriculture-specific provisions of GATT 1994 or of the other Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement”.

Panel Report, Australia—Subsidies Provided to Producers and Exporters of Automotive Leather, para. 9.55, WTO Doc. WT/DS126/R (adopted 16 June 1999).

Appellate Body Report, United States—Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products, para. 157, WTO Doc. WT/DS58/AB/R (adopted 6 Nov 1998) [hereinafter US—Shrimp Appellate Body Report].

Id. at para. 150.

Id. at para. 151 (quoting Appellate Body Report, United States—Standards for Reformulated and Conventional Gasoline, at 22, WTO Doc. WT/DS2/AB/R (adopted 20 May 1996) [hereinafter US—Gasoline Appellate Body Report]).

Panel Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products, para. 8.236, WTO Doc. WT/DS135/R and Add.1 (adopted 5 Apr 2001) [as modified by Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products, WTO Doc. WT/DS135/AB/R (adopted 5 Apr 2001)].

Id. at para. 7.353.

Id. at para. 7.355.

Appellate Body Report, Brazil—Measures Affecting Imports of Retreaded Tyres, para. 239, WTO Doc. WT/DS332/AB/R (adopted 17 Dec 2007).

The discussion in this section can be found in the following article in a detailed manner: Lo (2013).

Annex 1 (entitled “Terms and Their Definitions for the Purpose of this Agreement”) provides the definitions to the following terms and phrases: technical regulation, standard, conformity assessment procedures, international body or system, regional body or system, central government body; local government body, and non-governmental body.

Annex A (entitled “Definitions”) to the SPS Agreement includes definitions on the following terms and phrases: sanitary or phytosanitary measure; harmonization; international standards, guidelines and recommendations; risk assessment; appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection; pest- or disease-free area; and area of low pest or disease prevalence.

What is the Harmonized System (HS)?. http://​www.​wcoomd.​org/​en/​topics/​nomenclature/​overview/​what-is-the-harmonized-system.​aspx. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.

Appellate Body Report, US—Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes, para. 269, WTO Doc. WT/DS406/AB/R (adopted 24 Apr 2012) [hereinafter US—Clove Cigarettes Appellate Body Report].

Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Regime for the Importation, Sale and Distribution of Bananas (Article 21.5—Ecuador II)/(Article 21.5—US), para. 383, WTO Doc. WT/DS27/AB/RW2/ECU, WT/DS27/AB/RW/USA, WT/DS27/AB/RW2/ECU/Corr.1, WT/DS27/AB/RW/USA/Corr.1 (adopted 11 Dec 2008/22 Dec 2008).

Id. at paras. 390–391.

Id. at para. 270.

Id. at paras. 271–272.

Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft, para. 841, WTO Doc. WT/DS316/AB/R (adopted 1 June 2011) [hereinafter EC and certain member States—Large Civil Aircraft Appellate Body Report].

Id. at paras. 312–313.