Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization
1994-04-15
1994-12-08
Summary
The WTO Agreement established the World Trade Organization and incorporated the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It created a binding dispute settlement mechanism and a framework for multilateral trade negotiations.
Parties
U.S. Implementing Legislation
Uruguay Round Agreements Act
Pub. L. 103-465, 19 U.S.C. §§ 3501 et seq.
Implements the Uruguay Round agreements into U.S. law and establishes that WTO dispute settlement decisions do not automatically override U.S. law.
Key Cases
United States — Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products (WTO DS58) — Environmental measures and trade obligations
Charming Betsy Canon — Murray v. Schooner Charming Betsy, 6 U.S. (2 Cranch) 64 (1804) — U.S. statutes should be construed consistently with international obligations where possible
Related Treaties
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
2018-11-30 · Ratified
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
1886-09-09 · Ratified
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
1970-06-19 · Ratified
U.S.–U.K. Bilateral Investment Treaty (Model BIT Example)
2012-04-20 · Ratified