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WTO Awards Caribbean Country Right to Ignore US Copyright
The WTO's recent ruling on Antigua's complaint against the US over the banning of online gambling resulted in a payment to the island nation much less than they asked for. It appears, though, that this payment was just part of the WTO's compensation package for Antigua/Barbuda. Via Kotaku, the Hollywood Reporter notes that the Caribbean country can now freely ignore US copyright laws - legally. This dispensation is apparently limited to some $21 million a year. "The WTO often takes decisions awarding trade compensation in cases where one nation's policies are found to break its rules. But this is only the second time the compensation lets one country violate intellectual property laws. In this case, Antigua will -- in theory -- be allowed to distribute copies of American DVDs, CDs and games and software with impunity. 'That has only been done once before and is, I believe, a very potent weapon,' Antigua's lawyer Mark Mendel said. 'I hope that the United States government will now see the wisdom in reaching some accommodation with Antigua over this dispute.'"
Holy Shit!
Samsung took back my unlocked bootloader because Google wants me to rent movies. They're both evil.
Hardly unrelated. These people are beneficiaries of a system increasingly broken and imbalanced. In some cases these artists have been lobbying for these harsher copyright laws. Besides, if the artists want to blame anybody, blame RIAA and the MPAA, whose members are among the most corrupt companies in North America. RIAA's members have spent decades stealing artists blind, and the MPAA's members have accounting practices that should land their executives in jail for life.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
The republican governor of California has visited the Antiguan embassy over this. When they refused to listen to him, he said "I'll be back."
Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
OK, quick question. Why is this post moderated Insightful (and every post critical of it either Troll or Flamebait)? That is, do that many people on Slashdot seriously believe that Antigua and Barbuda is going to be added to the Axis of Evil now? If not, then why is this being moderated up?