Antigua plans to sell US copyright protected material

The Caribbean nation of Antigua has had a long, drawn out battle with the US government regarding internet gambling.  Ten years ago, there were thriving online gambling sites hosted in Antigua, but the US government instituted a "blockade" of these sites, and this industry in Antigua collapsed.  The government of Antigua took their grievances to the World Trade Organization and won their case in 2005.  In 2007, the WTO expanded this victory, saying that Antigua has the right to suspend US copyrights for up to $21 million dollars annually.

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And now, six years after that last decision by the WTO, the government of Antigua is finally getting serious about setting up a website where anyone can access American copyright protected material without paying royalties to the copyright holders.  In order to make some money off the venture, we have to assume that a small fee will go straight to the Antigua government in return for this access.

Antigua has to inform the WTO about their plans, and last month the US blocked them from doing so.  But they are set to try again.

The US government is, naturally, none too pleased with the prospect and have issued a few statements predicting dire results and loss of investment opportunities in Antigua.  But for the moment, such posturing hasn't deterred Antigua.

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You can read a little bit more at TorrentFreak.

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