How to Find Sources of International Law

Monday, March 24, 2008
 

Instructions

  • Step 1:
    Determine what kind of international law you are interested in finding sources for. The most likely form of international law is called public international law as it involves public entities such as sovereign nations, colonies and territories and the subjects (or citizens) of these places. Private international law relates to corporate, private entities that are usually businesses, while supranational law involves collectives of national entities such as the European Union.
  • Step 2:
    Look at the Geneva Conventions as one of your first sources for international law. The Conventions provide law that deals primarily with humanitarian concerns, such as the conduct of soldiers and armies in war and the rights of people and groups such as refugees.
  • Step 3:
    Refer to the International Court of Justice for cases of precedence regarding conflicts between nations that are generally of a retributive or commercial nature. The International Court adjudicates on things like disputes between government companies in international waters and compensation of terror attacks that were sponsored by national governments.
  • Step 4:
    Use the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention as the 2 major sources of international copyright and intellectual property protection law. The Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions are applicable only to signatories of the 2 conventions, so make sure that the countries you're interested in finding law sources for signed at least 1 of the 2 conventions.
  • Step 5:
    Check a law information clearing house such as WebLaw for a centralized source of information regarding other forms of law such as maritime (admiralty) law and international law regarding weapons proliferations.

Resources


Related Content
How to Get an International Copyright
There is no one copyright that will protect an author's work throughout the entire world. Copyright protection is based on each particular country's law. Most countries offer protection to foreign...
How to Research Copyright Law
Prior to 1989, the little © symbol was seen a lot more often than it is now. But things changed in 1989, and the symbol was not needed as often. However, the arguments about copyright law and...
How to Use Copyrighted Information on Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written by contributors around the world. All information on the site is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) which allows users to reproduce...
How to Protect Work From International Copyright Infringement
Protecting a work from international copyright infringement is not done by enforcing any international law. There are no international copyrights, making protection from infringement difficult. The...
How to Visit a Sports Collectibles Convention
If you are into collecting sports memorabilia, visiting a sports collectibles convention is a must. You can find rare collectibles and a bunch of related items that aren’t available...