Transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) and the spill overs effects on the Gulf – cooperation council

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Nadia Naim, 'Transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) and the spill overs effects on the Gulf – cooperation council', International Journal of Law and Management, Vol. 59 (1): 35-51, February 2017. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-10-2015-0056. © Emerald Publishing Limited 2017. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. Licensed re-use rights only.Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP). The EU and the USA are negotiating the TTIP, a trade agreement that aims to remove trade barriers across different economic sectors to increase trade between the EU and the USA. The TTIP will have spill over effects on the MENA region, the GCC, Australia and the Asian sub-continent, as it raises key questions for intellectual property and international trade agreements. For instance, will the USA and EU be on an equal footing or will one triumph over the other, will third party countries like the GCC states be expected to adopt new standards. Design/methodology/approach The research design is a paper and online data collection method to find literature to date on intellectual property law development in the GCC states in relation to the three research objectives as set out above. The literature is the population, and this could prove problematic. Different databases have been used to cover all sources where data can be found. Findings As the EU-USA TTIP is aiming to conclude by the end of 2015, the GCC has an opportunity to reassess its relationship with both the EU and GCC. Up until now, the GCC was able to enter into negotiations with the EU and USA relatively independently. However, where the EU and USA can agree, there will be a harmonisation of regulations. This therefore has repercussions for the GCC. The TTIP has three main aims: to increase trade and investment through market access, increase employment and competitiveness and create a harmonised approach to global trade. To harmonise global trade, the EU and USA aim to harmonise their intellectual property rights through an intellectual property rights chapter that deals specifically with enhancing protection and recognition for geographical indications, build on TRIPS and patentability. Research limitations/implications This study is non-empirical. Originality/value The TTIP will have spill over effects for the GCC, as it has yet to finalise the EU-GCC free trade agreement and USA-GCC framework agreement. The power dynamics between the USA and EU will be a deciding factor on the intellectual property chapter in the TTIP in terms of what the provisions for intellectual property will look like and what powers will be available to investors to bring investor-state-dispute settlement claims against foreign countries.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The international Trojan Horse – investor to state dispute settlements and the spill over effects for the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, on 22 February 2017, available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13600869.2017.1275275. The Accepted Manuscript is under embargo. Embargo end date: 22 August 2018.There is a great deal of uncertainty in the realm of international intellectual property law, with the EU and the US negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade agreement that aims to remove trade barriers across different economic sectors to increase trade between the EU and the US while embedding investor to state dispute settlement mechanisms into the agreement.1 The TTIP will have spill over effects on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Australia, the Asian sub-continent and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) which will be the main focus of this article. The impact of the TTIP on the GCC will require a fresh analysis of their intellectual property laws and international trade agreements (Pratap, J. 2013. Proposed US-EU trade deal may impact business in GCC: report. Accessed 21 June 2016. http://www.bilaterals.org/?proposed-us-eu-trade-deal-may#sthash.aXZVR17g.dpuf). As the US and EU finalise the TTIP, there is also the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that could impact third party countries. The article will analyse both the TTIP and TTP in regard to the potential ramifications of the agreements on developing Islamic states like the GCC states in respect of intellectual property protection, with particular emphasis on investor to state dispute settlements.Peer reviewe

An examination of the intellectual property regimes in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states and a series of recommendations to develop an integrated approach to intellectual property rights

This thesis aims to examine the intellectual property regimes in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states and assess the relationships between legislation, enforcement mechanisms and sharia law. The GCC states, currently Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, all have varied mechanisms in place for both the implementation and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The thesis pays close attention to the evolution of intellectual property laws and regulations in the GCC states with particular interest directed towards the development of national intellectual property laws within the GCC states from the 1970’s onwards1. Intellectual property protection in the GCC states is considered from two perspectives. The first perspective addresses the international demand for higher standards of intellectual property protection in the GCC states. The second perspective defines intellectual property within the laws of Islam and explores the relationship between Islam and intellectual property. The latter part analyses religious influence, societal and cultural norms, economic reality and the developmental stage of each GCC state. It is an important area of study as developing Muslim countries are struggling with meeting international standards and a successful integrated framework will impact not only on GCC states but other Islamic states and as a result could potentially lead to more informed negotiation in trade agreements with developed states. The research argues there are systematic flaws in the GCC states adopting intellectual property laws which are in essence a procrustean modification of foreign laws which have developed from colonial occupation or laws taken from donor countries. The GCC legal systems of the states have evolved utilising different sets of legal principles and therefore it could be argued the foreign laws that have been adopted are somewhat unsuitable for the GCC states. The research has focused on the implications of the national and international legislative regimes on the protection of intellectual property rights on the GCC states. Consideration is given to compliance, mainly how compliant the GCC is to its World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIP’s) Agreement and to what extent the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) influence the intellectual property protection regimes in the GCC. The research has examined the development of the GCC in three distinct stages; pre-TRIPS, TRIPS compliance stage and TRIPS plus. Furthermore, the thesis argues that the somewhat simplistic formula of the GCC states passing a large number of intellectual property laws to appease the EU and US does not have the significant economic impact on the GCC economy as the international agreements would suggest. Not all trade is intellectual property related and not all foreign direct investment is contingent upon intellectual property protection. However, as the GCC states are largely oil dependent, they do need to diversify their trade and as such an intellectual property protection model that accounts for international intellectual property law and the bespoke cultural and religious views amongst GCC citizens can produce tangible results for both the GCC and its trading partners. What sets the research apart from previous research is two-fold. Firstly, the research is qualitative and has scratched beneath the surface of intellectual property law in the GCC and examined in detail the Islamic law principles that have been used to justify sharia compliance, the western perspective on international intellectual property and the impact of multilateral trade agreements. Secondly, the analysis of Islamic finance and the application of successful sharia compliant models in Islamic finance to intellectual property is innovative as it acts as a springboard to creating a modified sharia compliant intellectual property protection model. Finally, the thesis will conclude by making a series of recommendations to develop an integrated approach to intellectual property rights which takes into account; the structure of the GCC states, international agreements and pressures, the international institutions, Islamic finance and both societal and religious views

Le syndrome de Stewart-Treves compliquant un lymphœdème chronique idiopathique

Le syndrome de Stewart-Treves (SST) est une entité rare, correspondant à un angiosarcome cutané compliquant un lymphoedème chronique. Il est de mauvais pronostic. Stewart et Treves ont rapportés en 1948, les premiers cas d'angiosarcome secondaire à un traitement du cancer du sein. Ce terme s'est généralisé pour regrouper l'ensemble des cas de lymphangiosarcome sur lymphoedème d'origine congénital héréditaire ou non héréditaire, post-traumatique ou post-infectieux. Le SST sur un lymphoedème idiopathique reste exceptionnel. Nous rapportons le cas rare d'une patiente présentant un lymphoedème chronique primitif idiopathique des quatre membres évoluant depuis l'adolescence et qui a développé un SST du membre supérieur droit. Elle a subi une amputation à mi- bras vu le caractère très évolué de la tumeur

Influence of different extraction solvents on phytochemical content and antioxidant capacity extracted from pulp and flower of dessert and cooking bananas

Solubility of antioxidant compounds depends on the type of extraction solvent used. Here, we report total phytochemical content and antioxidant activities of methanolic, ethanolic and distilled water extracts of banana pulp and flower from different banana cultivars. Rastali (AAB) and Berangan (AAA) belong to a dessert banana group, while Tanduk (AAB), Nipah (BBB) and Awak (ABB) belong to a cooking banana group. The total antioxidant activities were analyzed using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays. The total of phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (TFC) and β-carotene (TBC) were also determined. The DPPH assay showed the methanolic extract of ripe dessert banana pulps, Rastali and Berangan contained the highest antioxidant activities, 91% and 74.15%, respectively. A similar trend was observed from FRAP assay, which showed the methanolic extract of ripe Rastali and Berangan pulps contained the highest antioxidant activities, 1225.52±6.51 µM Fe(II)/g and 1090.42±20.66 µM Fe(II)/g, respectively. The highest TPC and TFC were found in the methanolic extract of Berangan flower (55.91±1.25 mg GAE/g FW) and ripe Berangan pulp (1.51±0.05 mg RE/g FW), respectively. The ripe Berangan pulp and Awak flower showed the highest TBC (6.685±0.11 µg/g FW and 6.374±0.26 µg/FW, respectively). Overall, methanolic extract showed the best capacity to extract the highest antioxidant compounds from dessert bananas, while ethanolic extract has the best ability to extract antioxidant compounds from cooking banana. Thus, respective solvents can be used to extract natural antioxidant compounds from different banana cultivars for human consumption and industrial use

Aromatic potential, quality and antioxidant activity of saffron grown in Morocco

peer reviewedSaffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus L., which has a special aroma, colour and odour influencing positively its economic value. In this context, ten saffron ecotypes were screened for their biochemical composition and antioxidant activity. The samples were also analysed using GC-MS and LC-MS to determine their content of volatile and phenolic compounds, respectively. The results revealed statistically significant differences among samples based on moisture (9.09%-11.23%), total phenols (31.62-62.71 mg EAG/g), total flavonoids (23.02-40.02 mg ER/mg), total carotenoids (66.12-155.05 μg/g), picrocrocin (88.99-121.53), crocin (137.44-228.39) and safranal (26.56-53.04). The radical scavenging activity ranged from 17.09% to 29.53% for DPPH assay, and oscillated from 0.128 mmol AAE/g to 0.239 mmol AAE/g for ABTS test, while the ferric reducing antioxidant potency (FRAP) varied from 0.974 to 1.989 mmol Fe2+/g. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified 66 volatile compounds, among which the Safranal and Isophorone were the most abondant. The ES1 from Taliouine recorded a very distinct volatile composition compared to the others ecotypes with 22 authentic volatile compounds. Moreover, liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis revealed 14 phenolic compounds with picrocrocin and crocin were found to be the major compounds. The principal component analysis classified the investigated ecotypes into two mean distinctive sets with ES1 and ES9 were distinguished as a single items. The α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, anethole, acetic acid, ketoisophorone, isophorone, safranal, thymoquinone, total flavonoids, FRAP and total carotenoids, are the main discriminant variables. The two-dimensional analysis of the clustered heatmaps divided showed a relatively similar patterns as the principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmed the singularity of the sample ES1 based on its particular volatile profile dominated mainly by α-terpinyl acetate, methyleugenol, copaene, anethole, limonene, methyl-cyclopentane, which were not identified in the other samples even at minor levels. These findings herein found revealed the high quality of Moroccan saffron, which is very important for the species breeding and valorization

ATR-FTIR spectroscopy combined with DNA barcoding and GC-MS to assess the quality and purity of saffron (Crocus Sativus L.)

peer reviewedFourier transform infrared spectra of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) samples were acquired using attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR). The main objective of the study was to determine the chemical composition of 11 samples of saffron collected from different areas in Morocco using the chemometric analysis of ATR-FTIR fingerprints and identifying the adulterated saffron among samples bought from local markets in different countries (Spain, Iran, and Morocco). The the authenticity and the purity of saffron samples was validated through a molecular analysis (DNA barcoding coupled to sequencing) and chromatographic analysis GC-MS. The results of ATR-FTIR showed vibration intensities of six distinct fingerprint regions displaying statistically significant differences. The spectrum of the sample from Timjicht (Taznakht) showed typical bands due to the vibration in 3000-2800 cm-1 (the richest in carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids) and 1800 to 1725 cm-1 region (the richest in carbonyl and ester groups) and was classified a single subset in samples scatter plot. Then samples from Boulmane (S2), Ain Leuh (S3), Taliouine (S6), and Taznakht (S7-S8) were classified close to each other, which indicates the similarity in their vibration intensities mainly in the region of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, and esters. Similarities in terms of proteins and hydroxyl groups were revealed between the samples from El Mers (S11) and Taliouine (S1). Finally, the last subgroup contained samples from Ourika, Azilal and Ain Atia, which showed low composition in all components. Furthermore, to detect adulterated saffron from samples of unknown origin, a comparison of the ATR-FTIR spectra were carried out with spectra of pure saffron and results Journal Pre-proof 2 showed that the peaks at 1706, 1732, and 1225 cm-1 (linked to crocin which are present primarily in saffron) were absent in one sample (SI). Interestingly, the use of another plant species named Arrhenatherum elatius as materiel for saffron adulteration was confirmed by the molecular study (DNA barcoding) and chromatographic analysis GC-M