Contemporary Issues in International Law: Environment, International Trade, Information Technology and Legal Education

This book explores the changing nature of international law and its ability to respond to the contemporary issues related to international environment, trade and information technology. The evolution of international law has reached a stage where we are witnessing diminishing power of the state and its capacity to deal with the economic matters challenging the existing notions of territory and sovereignty. Recent trends in international law and international relations show that states no longer have exclusive control over the decision-making process at the global level. Keeping this in mind, the book brings together the perspectives of various international and national scholars.

The book considers diverse issues such as, sustainable development, climate change, global warming, Rio+20, technology transfer, agro-biodiversity and genetic resource, authority for protection of environment, human right to water, globalization, human rights, sui generis options in IP laws, impact of liberalization on higher education, regulation of international trade, intellectual property rights, collective administration of copyright, broadcast reproduction rights, implementation of copyright law, communication rights under copyright law, arbitration for IP disputes, doctrine of exhaustion of rights, trans-border reputation of trademark, information as an asset, cyber obscenity and pornography, e-governance, taxation of e-commerce, computer crime, information technology, domain names, research excellence in legal education, ideological perspective on legal education, challenges for law teachers, and clinical legal education. The topics, though diverse, are closely interrelated, with the common concern throughout being that the global environment, international trade, information technology and legal education need appropriate national normative and institutional responses as well as the global cooperation of members of the international community. Presenting reflections of a number of Asian, African and European scholars on these varied facets, the book is of great value to scholars, practitioners, teachers and students associated with contemporary international law.

B.C. Nirmal is Professor of Law and Vice Chancellor, National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi, India. He was Head and Dean of the Law School, Banaras Hindu University (2012-2014), Varanasi, India. He is Vice-President of the Indian Society of International Law, Vice President of All India Law Teachers' Congress, a member of the Indian Law Institute Governing Body, and a member of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (Asia-India) Executive Council. He is also a member of the Academic Council of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, India, as well as the Board of Studies (Law) at Allahabad University and Delhi University and the School Board of Social Sciences, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India. He is Honorary Professor, Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar, India, and was a Visiting Fellow North-Bengal University, Darjeeling, India. He visited The Hague in 1985, Taipeiin 2006 and Xiamin Academy of International Law, China, in 2010 in relation to academic programmes. He has delivered lectures at Indian and foreign universities and chaired a number of national and international conferences. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of Banaras Law Journal (2000-2009). He is on the Editorial Board of the Indian Journal of International Law. He has written five books and more than 120 research articles, published in various international and national journals. He has presented papers at more than 200 national and international seminars and conferences. He specializes in the areas of international law, human rights, labour law, and consumer protection law.

Rajnish Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor of Law at the Law School, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, obtained his LL.B., LL.M. and PhD degrees from the University of Delhi, India. His research papers have been published in various international and national journals. He is the assistant editor of the Banaras Law Journal and guest editor of NUSRL Journal of Law and Policy. His main areas of specialization are intellectual property laws and arbitration law.