International news
Intellectual property has become an essential resource for businesses in today’s competitive economy
02 February 2012
Intellectual property has become an essential resource for businesses in today’s competitive economy. The following ICC publications will help you to better understand the tools the IP system offers to protect and exploit your assets:
Making intellectual property work for business
A handbook for chambers of commerce and business associations setting up intellectual property services
Co-published with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The ICC Intellectual Property Roadmap
25 January 2012
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This popular ICC report – containing contributions from experts from around the globe – is widely read by business, policy and legal professionals worldwide, both within and outside ICC’s international membership. Published every two years, the IP Roadmap is translated into Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian and other languages.
ICC policy positions on World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12)
19 January 2012
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WCIT-12 is a critical opportunity to ensure that the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) can support the future development of telecoms markets, services and technological innovation. To do this, given the contemporary pace of market change, it is vital for the ITRs to be focused on general strategic and policy issues relating to the provision of international telecommunications services, rather than on specific regulatory and technical matters. Detailed rules for the establishment and settlement of accounting rate arrangements are no longer relevant in the contemporary competitive international marketplace, and should be significantly amended or removed.
Market outlook for trade finance is gloomy
19 January 2012
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New research by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed a largely pessimistic outlook for the demand for trade finance products in 2012. Based upon inputs received from 337 financial institutions responding to a joint ICC-IMF survey, the findings also show a two-speed financial system: For emerging Asia the outlook is the strongest, while the Euro area is the weakest. “Around 60% of the respondents indicated that the demand for trade in Asia will show improvement in 2012, while close to 50% of respondents predicted a further deterioration for the Euro area,” said Thierry Senechal, ICC Senior Policy Manager for Banking.
Encouraged by GPA Agreement and Russia Accession at WTO Ministerial, Business Pushes for New Approaches to Trade Liberalization
21 December 2011
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The World Trade Organization approval of a revised government procurement agreement and invitation for Russia to be the newest WTO member were seen as positive steps towards market liberalization by the business community, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents American industry views to international organizations and national governments. USCIB hopes members will follow through on pursuing new approaches for opening markets given the consensus that Doha negotiations have reached an impasse.
Business Bookstore
28 November 2011
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To help you make the most of international business and cross-border trade, we have developed a wide range of tools and resources in the fields of arbitration, import-export and trade finance. Check them out at www.iccbooks.com!
Making intellectual property work for business
Intellectual property has become an essential competitive tool for businesses in today’s economy. This essential tool helps chambers and business associations to set up IP services for companies.
Getting past the Doha Round to a Doha Agreement
03 November 2011
Marcus Wallenberg, Chair of the ICC G20 Advisory Group
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| Marcus Wallenberg |
While the world economy founders on debt and unemployment, governments ignore the single most important source of growth and jobs over the past 60 years. World trade is being allowed to stagnate under a mounting recourse to protectionism, a policy which has, historically, proved to be disastrous not only for the global economy but for prosperity and peace. In recent decades, global trade has lifted millions of people out of poverty and contributed to improving living standards around the world.
At a time when governments have declining financial resources at their disposal, the economic and social dividend from expanding trade would provide a welcome debt-free stimulus to the world economy. Instead, the reality is that multilateral trade negotiations are stalled and may be fatally stalemated.
The joint report by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization on Economic Co-operation (OECD) and United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
03 June 2011
Paris, 1 June 2011 – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is urging G20 leaders to keep markets open to trade, following worrying results from a recently released WTO-OECD-UNCTAD report that G20 countries are increasing protectionist measures.
The joint report by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization on Economic Co-operation (OECD) and United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on G20 trade and investment measures, released 24 May 2011, found that more new trade restrictive measures have been implemented in the past six-month period than in any previously reported period. From October 2010 to April 2011 alone, G20 members implemented 30 new export restrictions.
ICC honours youth enterprise
08 December 2010
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) presented two business awards honouring free enterprise at the annual Junior Chamber International (JCI) World Congress, which took place in Osaka, Japan from 31 October to 7 November.
Two medals for best business development programme by a local and by a national JCI chapter were awarded by Yamada Kiyoshi, Secretary General of ICC Japan during the JCI Gala Awards evening on 6 November.
Economists want Incoterms® 2010 in national law
17 November 2010
More than three quarters of the economists polled believed that their government should adopt the Incoterms® 2010 international trading rules into national legislation. Nearly all agreed that broad global use of common rules and standards facilitated international trade.
Support was above 90% in Latin America, Oceania, Asia, Africa and the CIS countries. In North America, 77% of experts agreed with incorporating Incoterms® rules into national legislation, while in Europe 85% of experts agreed.
Leaders at ICC World Business Summit examine roles of business and trade in development of post-recession global economy
05 July 2010
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Hong Kong, 30 June 2010 – The world’s leaders are at an important crossroads as they tackle the question of how to press forward following the worst recession in decades, according to experts at the ICC World Business Summit in Hong Kong today, organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Speakers and delegates at the summit agreed that trade, employment and sustainable development are key drivers of economic recovery and future growth. They urged governments to support their job creation, export and sustainable development initiatives by ensuring that new employment opportunities are created for unskilled labour, protectionist pressures are kept in check and efforts are stepped up to address critical environmental issues. In addition, governments were encouraged to nurture innovation as a catalyst for the world economy to prosper.
Gupta and Green take the reins as ICC Chairman, Vice-Chairman
05 July 2010
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| ICC Chairman Rajat Gupta |
Paris, 1 July 2010 – Rajat Kumar Gupta, Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company, becomes Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) today, succeeding Victor K. Fung, Chairman of the Hong Kong based multinational group Li & Fung. Stephen K. Green, HSBC Group Chairman, becomes ICC Vice-Chairman. The new leaders were elected by ICC’s World Council during its meeting in Hong Kong, which brought together 80 of ICC’s business members from 45 countries.
McKinsey & Company executive named new Chairman
Mr Gupta, an Indian national who resides in the US, held a range of top management posts at McKinsey during his 34 years with the firm. He joined the company in 1973 and rose rapidly through the ranks, assuming leadership of its Scandinavian offices in 1973 and its Chicago office in 1981. In 1994, he was appointed the firm’s Managing Director Worldwide, the first Managing Director to be born outside of the US. He was Senior Partner Worldwide from 2003 to 2007.
Toronto summit disappoints on trade issues
05 July 2010
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The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which believes that trade has a vital role to play in the global economic recovery, is disappointed by the Toronto G20 Summit’s inadequate approaches to two key trade issues: trade finance and the Doha Round of trade negotiations.
ICC has been championing a better treatment of trade finance since the onset of the financial crisis. We applauded the G20’s recognition at previous summits of the major role of trade finance in keeping trade flowing. Since then, the business community has strongly criticized proposals from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to increase the risk weighting of trade finance under a new framework to limit bank leverage.
New rules for demand guarantees effective 1 July
05 July 2010
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Securing an array of international and domestic monetary and performance obligations, ICC's new Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG) enter into effect tomorrow.
Successor to URDG 458, the extensively updated rules, URDG 758 will help bring financial stability to markets rocked by the global recession by setting out the liabilities and responsibilities of parties at each stage of the guarantee lifecycle. As of 1 July 2010, any reference to URDG in a demand guarantee or counter-guarantee leads to the new URDG 758 applying to the undertaking.
Adopted on 3 December 2009 by the ICC Executive Board URDG 758 will apply to billions of US dollars in aggregate of outstanding guarantees in all sectors of trade and industry including construction, capital markets, commercial lending, corporate restructuring and structured finance.
“The new URDG are the result of an ambitious project to create a new set of rules for the 21st century that is clearer, more precise, and more comprehensive, offering the fairest balance yet between the parties’ competing interests and doing so in innovative ways,” said ICC Secretary General Jean Rozwadowski.
ICC unveils new rules for demand guarantees
23 March 2010
In an effort to provide greater financial security following the global recession, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on March 18 unveiled an extensively revised version of the Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG), which will be instrumental in adopting uniform practices in trade finance.
