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Responding to US Gambling Law, Antigua Set To Launch "Pirate" Site
An anonymous reader writes "The Government of Antigua is planning to launch a website selling movies, music and software, without paying U.S. copyright holders. The Caribbean island is taking the unprecedented step because the United States refuses to lift a trade 'blockade' preventing the island from offering Internet gambling services, despite several WTO decisions in Antigua's favor. The country now hopes to recoup some of the lost income through a WTO approved 'warez' site."
The US illegally abuses Antigua over IP, so Antigua abuses back. If the US respected rule of law and such, they'd not have started this mess. What a way to build a country indeed.
Wait, What?
US has the right to control gambling within its borders.
They pass a law limiting US based citizens from from accessing these sites and or banks from transferring money to those sites.
I'm sure you would be the first to defend those acts if any other country but the US was involved.
So Antigua now declares open season on any copyright held by a US citizen. So every struggling artist, game developer, author, now gets ripped off and denied remuneration, because Antigua is not allowed to bypass US Gambling regulations?
And you are ok with this?
Go back, reread what I just wrote, swapping Antigua for the US and vice-versa. Would you STILL feel the same way if the US declared all Antiguan copyrights fair game, simply because Antigua didn't want some predatory US industry doing business in their country?
No? I thought not.
Why don't you hold Antigua to the same standards you expect the US to follow? Why shouldn't Antigua honor US Gambling laws when doing business in the US?
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Mod Illegal.
The WTO does not have the authority to abrogate international copyright law and treaties.
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US didn't tell these companies they couldn't pay the gambling purveyors. Just that they couldn't pay them on behalf of US citizens placing bets with US bank accounts.
You seem to continue to side step the issue of the US having the right to control gambling within its borders. Yet you insist Antigua has the right to offer gambling services in foreign countries? I don't get the double standard. If the US offered betting services to French gamblers on french events via france's internet, in violation of french law, wouldn't you be among the first to condemn the US for violating French law?
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