World Trade Organization Gives Thumbs Up to Antiguan Piracy Site

Last week we told you about Antigua’s plan launch a website to distribute American content while ignoring United States copyright laws. Earlier this week, the World Trade Organization (WTO) the group gave Antigua the green light to move forward with the pirate website that Antigua still refuses to call a pirate website. To nobody’s surprise, representatives from the United States are not happy about this situation.

The legality of the site depends on who you ask. American says it violates copyrights. The World Trade Organization says Antigua is allowed to violate U.S. copyrights, and Antigua says that really, they just want to get back to hosting Internet gambling. Their online gambling industry crashed after the U.S. imposed a ban on Internet gaming, and Antigua has been trying to make up for lost revenue ever since

Antigua was given preliminary approval to shirk U.S. copyright back in 2007, but yesterday’s authorization takes them one step closer to launching the site. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Antigua are still negotiating a settlement from the U.S. ban on online gambling. A U.S. officials said in an earlier statement:

Government-authorized piracy would undermine chances for a settlement that would provide real benefits to Antigua. It also would serve as a major impediment to foreign investment in the Antiguan economy, particularly in high-tech industries.

Officials from Antigua don’t see it that way. Emanuel McChesney, the Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority said:

We assume this is just rhetoric for public consumption, and we look forward to the United States putting aside these tactics and focusing their future efforts on thoughtful negotiation rather than on hyperbole and intimidation.

Sick burn, McChesney.

We’ll see if the site ever comes to fruition, or if America and Antigua settle their differences — or if America lifts its stupid ban on online gambling.

(via TorrentFreak, image via Shaun Greiner)

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