“I have a problem,” the caller said to me. “Our company's textile factory in Vietnam has been sitting idle for several weeks." The caller explained that it's cotton supplier was unable to clear its shipping documents with customs officials. I asked whether the company had a back-up plan to find an alternative supply. "No," replied the caller. "We didn't think we'd ever need … [Read more...]
4 Reasons Why a Lawsuit Over Flight MH17 Will Not Succeed in U.S. Courts.
"I opened the door and it was raining people. One fell in my vegetable patch" --Irina Tipunova, Rozsypne, Ukraine That horrific account captures only part of the tragedy that ended the lives of 298 passengers aboard Malaysia Flight MH17 last month. Several hundred feet from Ms. Tipunova’s home, dozens more ravaged bodies lay in the wheat fields where the airliner came … [Read more...]
35 International Business Etiquette Rules that Might Surprise You.
Besides that one time in Switzerland that I yodeled my lunch order, I’ve had a good stretch of luck with not running afoul of any major rules of etiquette when doing business in other countries. Whether I’m at Breakfast with a banker in Brazil, at lunch with a lawyer in London or at dinner with a dealer in Denmark, I’m always uneasy about violating some unspoken rule of … [Read more...]
4 Steps to Effectuate Service of Process Under the Inter-American Service Convention
Out of the hundreds of articles I’ve written for this blog, one of the most widely read has been 7 Steps to Effectuate International Service of Process under the Hague Service Convention. That’s hardly a surprise given the complex nature of international service of process in general. This post is a logical follow-up to that one because the Inter-American Service … [Read more...]
How Safe are the Sochi Olympic Games?
A special guest post by Global Security Consultant and Political Risk Expert, Paul Crespo. This is the latest post in the series. The 2014 Olympic Winter Games began today in Sochi, Russia. Numerous U.S. multinational corporations such as McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble and Visa are sponsoring or participating, and 10,000 Americans are expected to attend. … [Read more...]
The World’s First Bitcoin Lawsuit—in the United States?
Have you ever received an email that is so fascinating that you have to read it out loud to make sure you that you read it correctly? I received one of those several days ago. The email asked the following question: “This past summer I purchased [factory equipment] in [Country X] with Bitcoin. I never received the equipment and [the supplier] won’t respond to my messages. … [Read more...]
Japan’s New 24-Hour Advance Manifest Rule Takes Effect on March 10, 2014.
On March 14, 2014, Japan will join the global effort to make things more difficult for exporters secure supply chains against international terrorism with the implementation of it’s own “24-hour rule.” First implemented by the U.S. in 2002, the 24-hour advance manifest rule requires all inbound cargo carriers to submit complete manifests a full 24 hours before leaving their … [Read more...]
Enforcing a Contract in Latin America? Good Luck with That.
I got a call recently from a local manufacturer looking to sue a supplier in a Latin American country for breach of contract. Given Miami’s proximity to the region, I see these types of cases a lot. The first thing I’ll do is take a look at the case to confirm that jurisdiction would be proper in the U.S. And most of the time it is. However, when the jurisdictional … [Read more...]
Don't Let Shipping Piracy Sink Your International Business.
A special guest post by Global Security Consultant and Political Risk Expert, Paul Crespo. This is the latest post in the series. With the dramatic growth of global commerce more businesses rely on maritime shipping to get their goods and raw materials to market. The release of the Tom Hanks film "Captain Phillips" depicting the 2009 hijacking of the US merchant ship Maersk … [Read more...]
3 Steps to Prepare your International Business for Crisis and Continuity
A special guest post by Global Security Consultant and Political Risk Expert, Paul Crespo. This is the seventh post in the series. Global companies today face a variety of serious risks that range from political disturbances, terrorist bombings, supply chain disruptions, natural disasters and cyber-attacks, to the kidnapping of key executives. Any of these threats can create … [Read more...]