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A comment on Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads. Parent comment

Re:Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads by ajross on Friday January 25, 2013 @07:04PM (#5118534)
What boundaries exactly got overstepped? It's a legal collision. US law says no online gambling. Antigua law says "Gambling is great, we welcome US consumers!". US tries to enforce its law via sanctions (I think). WTO law says you can't do that and awards Antigua $21M US in "equivalent sanctions" or somesuch (i.e. it's not a cash award).

Yawn. I mean, I think the US law here is dumb, but it's the law. I think the enforcement was clumsy, and it was rebuked. But this sort of nonsense happens all the time in international law. Must every trade dispute involving the US become some kind of para-nationalist rant against the "world's bully?". Can't it just be a dumb law like the literally thousands of other dumb laws?

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Re:Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads by politician on Friday January 25, 2013 @09:20PM (#5118939)
No, see, this is wrong. The WTO ruling hinged on the argument that the US specifically allows gambling (horse, dog, state lotteries) but its prohibition Internet gambling amounts to restraint of trade and that Antigua was harmed by this. The only meaningful remedy was to give Antigua the "rights to violate" a certain amount of US copyrights (could you imagine the US actually paying a fine?).
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Re:Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads by ahallock on Friday January 25, 2013 @07:52PM (#5118700)
> I think the US law here is dumb, but it's the law.

It is what it is, huh? 'It's the law' is a dose of propaganda so you don't feel bad about being forced to do something stupid.

A legal collision sounds so polite. To me, this resembles gang behavior. People want to gamble, so fuck the State. Statists are the hypocrites who let you buy lottery tickets at every corner store.

I agree with you that this isn't limited to the US, but the US wields pretty heavy influence and repercussions for disobedience.

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Re:Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads by tedunangst on Friday January 25, 2013 @08:23PM (#5118793)
If people want to gamble, they should vote for representatives that will repeal the gambling ban.
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Re:Antigua could hit U.S. with copyright-free downloads by Dylan16807 on Friday January 25, 2013 @07:47PM (#5118678)
It only becomes bullying if they start trying to do something like trade sanctions. Grecy is just worried that might happen. If there is no bullying, great!
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