Antigua to launch unauthorized movie, music, software site to punish U.S.

Antigua to launch unauthorized movie, music, software site to punish U.S.
The Antiguan government looks to be planning to launch a site that will sell movies, music and software without giving a dime back to the copyright holders.

The U.S. has a trade blockade with the island due to its offering of Internet gambling services, even though the WTO had ruled in Antigua's favor multiple times.



Antiguan officials now hope to make some income back through the new warez site.

Gambling was a major business for Antigua, up until a couple of years ago when the U.S. took the unprecedented step of shutting down all American access to gambling sites, most notably sports betting and poker.

"What was once a multi-billion dollar industry in our country, employing almost 5 percent of our population has now shrunk to virtually nothing," said Antigua's High Commissioner to London Carl Roberts.

The WTO previously ruled that the U.S. block of Antiguan gambling companies violated free-trade. The group then ruled that Antigua can "suspend U.S. copyrights up to $21 million annually." The government now plans to use this option, selling U.S. media to customers worldwide (up to $21 million worth), without giving a penny to the copyright holders.

Antigua hopes to launch the site in the very near future and has already informed the WTO.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 Jan 2013 19:54
Tags
Copyright U.S. wto warez antigua
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  • 12 comments
  • Notcow

    Good. How dare the US think that they have the right to ignore a ruling just because it's in favor of another country.

    26.1.2013 20:00 #1

  • Bozobub

    I lol'd.

    26.1.2013 20:27 #2

  • ivymike

    Hopefully, Afterdawn will provide a link to the website when it becomes available.....

    26.1.2013 20:27 #3

  • Blessedon

    Antigua's $21 million net gain, will be a fraction of Hollywood's gross loss.
    I ain't mad.

    26.1.2013 22:11 #4

  • flyingpen

    I wonder if this will be legal for US citizens ...

    Carpe Noctem

    26.1.2013 22:30 #5

  • Ofnir1

    I'm interested at what the reasoning behind the blockade is. It would be interesting to hear an actual reason than the usual side-step non-sense that's been the norm for years now.


    27.1.2013 03:03 #6

  • molsen

    Sly Soft is based there. Good for country. Love to see the site when it comes up.

    28.1.2013 13:35 #7

  • Bozobub

    Originally posted by flyingpen: I wonder if this will be legal for US citizens ... No. It will be exactly as illegal as TPB.

    28.1.2013 16:59 #8

  • goodjobbob (unverified)

    Antigua has been a bad actor on the international scene since they were kicked out of the UK in 1981.

    Stanford International Bank, Half Moon Bay, John Allen Mohammad, Gerald Bull, Robert Vesco, etc, etc.

    This is a "country" which exists only for fraud, theft and terrorism.

    As Dick Cheney said: The next warning may be a mushroom cloud.

    29.1.2013 01:23 #9

  • Blessedon

    Originally posted by goodjobbob: Antigua has been a bad actor on the international scene since they were kicked out of the UK in 1981.
    True to a point. However, were it not for such "bad actors", we would all suffer endless tyranny from mega-corporations. God bless Antigua!
    In 1859 John Brown was a "bad actor" as well.

    29.1.2013 06:24 #10

  • skeil909

    Originally posted by goodjobbob:
    exists only for fraud, theft and terrorism.
    Just like most agencies and offices within the U.S. Government.

    29.1.2013 13:45 #11

  • RaidKLW (unverified)

    Antigua isn't the only country claiming trade concessions. Other countries, there just being more dramatic about it.

    In 2007 the WTO ruled that the enactment of the UIGEA violated the WTO treaty with other countries. Instead of accepting the ruling, the US will give billions of dollars a year in trade concessions to foreign countries, just to keep on-line gambling out of the US.

    We will never know how much we are spending in concessions, because the US Government refuses to disclose the exact concessions made with the EU and other countries.

    Google :calvinayre unlawful-internet-gambling-enforcement-act-2006/

    4.2.2013 15:53 #12

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