WTO Sanctioned Piracy

[Krill]

So is the WTO saying that nations can't regulate their international commerce? Did the US single out Antigua? IIRC a numbr of Caribbean island nations run on-line casinos.

Currently gambling is regulated on a state level, but states may be unable to regulate on-line gambling because they don't have the right to regulate international commerce.

Yes. every band on every record label gets a FIFTY MILLION ****ING DOLLAR CONTRACT.

That is the STUPIDEST GODDAMN **** I HAVE EVER SEEN ON THIS ****ING FORUM.

Jesus ****ing Christ.

Uh, you do know that the reason this was accepted by the WTO was because the USA ****ed over Antiuguan businesses illegally?

Antigua is seeking permission to run a website that sells music, movies and software - but ignores copyright law.

The Caribbean island is due to appear before the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 28 January seeking permission to run the site.

The decision to set up the site is the end point of a long-running dispute with the US over gambling.

The US has objected to Antigua's plan saying it amounted to official "piracy" of intellectual property.

Officials from the Antiguan government will make their plea before the WTO's dispute settlement body on Monday to get "final authorisation" to set up the site, Mark Mendel, a lawyer representing the island nation told the BBC.

Antigua went to the WTO after the US moved to stop American citizens using gambling services, including web-based betting shops and casinos, run from the Caribbean country. Antigua claims that action deprived it of billions of dollars in revenue.

The WTO agreed with Antigua and dismissed a US appeal against its ruling. However, because the US took no action to lift the controls on cross-border gambling Antigua filed an application to recoup its lost cash by other means.

'Official pirates'
It sought permission to sell movies, music, games and software via a store that would be able to ignore global agreements on copyright and trademark controls, reports filesharing news site TorrentFreak. It wanted to be able to sell up to $3.4bn (£2.15bn) of those goods before having to make copyright payments.

The WTO rejected that figure, but said Antigua could sell $21m (£13.2m) annually via the store before it had to consider paying copyright fees. The US is believed to have offered to pay Antigua $500,000 annually as compensation for the lost revenue.

The US has also written to the WTO criticising Antigua's plans. In a letter to the WTO, excerpted on the Caribbean 360 news website, it said the plan amounted to "government-authorised piracy".

It also warned that if Antigua did go ahead with its plan "it would only serve to postpone the final resolution of this matter, to the detriment of Antigua's own interests".

Mr Mendel added that just because Antigua had permission to run the site did not mean it would go on to set it up.

"When or exactly how it will do so is within the government's discretion and will be considered and taken or not in due course," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21193634

[Guynemer]

So content producers get ****ed over in return?

Pirates always say, "**** the big companies, those guys make millions." Yeah, the CEOs get ****tons of money. And those are the guys that piracy has ZERO EFFECT on.

It is the writers, the producers, the engineers, the marketing people--there are lots of people who rely on people paying for movies, music, books, games, etc. Those are the people who get shafted by piracy.

I have zero ****ing patience for this ****. None.

[PLATO]

So content producers get ****ed over in return?

Pirates always say, "**** the big companies, those guys make millions." Yeah, the CEOs get ****tons of money. And those are the guys that piracy has ZERO EFFECT on.

It is the writers, the producers, the engineers, the marketing people--there are lots of people who rely on people paying for movies, music, books, games, etc. Those are the people who get shafted by piracy.

I have zero ****ing patience for this ****. None.

Seriously now...how do you really feel about this?

[Guynemer]

I know you're joking around, but this **** really pisses me off royal. ****ing entitled little ****s thinking everything should be ****ing free. People have no ****ing idea what it is really like to try to produce something creative--the nuts and bolts of it, how the system works, how hard it is to even get something in stores.

All these people can **** off and die.

[giblets]

You have a limited view of piracy.

If you're for piracy you might as well oppose the existence of copyrights in the first place. Guess I should be allowed to sell copies of someone else's book without compensating them for a small profit.

[MRT144]

If you're for piracy you might as well oppose the existence of copyrights in the first place. Guess I should be allowed to sell copies of someone else's book without compensating them for a small profit.

Depends on how much I like the book.

[MRT144]

If this is why we have Steam, *sigh*.

I hate Steam. I just want to be able to drive down to the store and buy a CD of a game that's mine. Have the actual hardcopy of it, TYVM.

Please, if we allowed you that you could easily pirate it.

[MRT144]

So content producers get ****ed over in return?

Pirates always say, "**** the big companies, those guys make millions." Yeah, the CEOs get ****tons of money. And those are the guys that piracy has ZERO EFFECT on.

It is the writers, the producers, the engineers, the marketing people--there are lots of people who rely on people paying for movies, music, books, games, etc. Those are the people who get shafted by piracy.

I have zero ****ing patience for this ****. None.

That's international commerce for you.

[Krill]

I know you're joking around, but this **** really pisses me off royal. ****ing entitled little ****s thinking everything should be ****ing free. People have no ****ing idea what it is really like to try to produce something creative--the nuts and bolts of it, how the system works, how hard it is to even get something in stores.

All these people can **** off and die.

That's a really good troll. 8.9/10

but only cos it's you.

[ColdWizard]

I know you're joking around, but this **** really pisses me off royal. ****ing entitled little ****s thinking everything should be ****ing free. People have no ****ing idea what it is really like to try to produce something creative--the nuts and bolts of it, how the system works, how hard it is to even get something in stores.

All these people can **** off and die.

Don't worry. Quite some time ago you helped me reverse my position on piracy.


Now I feel guilty when I do it.

[Dinner]

And during the Obama years absolutely nothing has changed. You know why? Because "Hope" and "Change" were lies.

And here I was thinking because it would take an act of Congress to change the laws. Gee, I guess the President can now snap his fingers and strike down existing laws.

Hint: Congress has to pass a new law to change the old law. Care to guess which party filibustered 98% of bills including their own last year?

[Dinner]

His wife is an author that gets shafted by illegal downloads, so I understand his feelings.

I'm wondering if authors really do. On balance how many downloaders just wouldn't have bothered to buy it or gone to the library? How many fewer people would ever have heard of the authors work much less sought it out? Where as because one of their friends downloaded it the book & author got good word of mouth and thus there was actually a net increase in sales when all was said and done. It might turn out that a cheaper online download might actually increase the books exposure, number of fans, AND increase actual paper book purchases. In fact, I'm willing to bet that frequently IS the case.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Back in the Bush years Republicans banned most forms of online gambling for Americans and anyone using American banks or credit cards. Why? Because they're religious loons and that's what religious loons do. Remember that next time they try to claim they're the party of "small government".

To be fair, conventional religion didn't have much to do with it. The theory was regulation and taxation, but the reality was casino interest lobbying. The religious aspect was worshipping the lobbyist's campaign contributions.

[Felch]

And here I was thinking because it would take an act of Congress to change the laws. Gee, I guess the President can now snap his fingers and strike down existing laws.

Hint: Congress has to pass a new law to change the old law. Care to guess which party filibustered 98% of bills including their own last year?

First of all, he hasn't even tried to change this. So there's no sense defending a man who won't even try to do the right thing. Second, the President has broad powers to change how laws are interpreted and executed. He could have ordered the FBI to postpone gambling investigations and prioritize international terror, or child trafficking, or any number of other politically safe alternatives. Without eliminating a law, he could have essentially left it unenforced. Even if there's money earmarked for investigating gambling (I haven't seen anything to confirm that), he could have had it used in a less diplomatically harmful manner. But no, he's just another lying sack of ****, and you're dumb enough to believe the lies he tells.

Slightly off topic, has anybody seen Oliver Stone's history series on Showtime? He lays the propaganda on thick (he basically makes the Soviets out to be the victims of the Cold War), but it's very well made.

[Felch]

To be fair, conventional religion didn't have much to do with it. The theory was regulation and taxation, but the reality was casino interest lobbying. The religious aspect was worshipping the lobbyist's campaign contributions.

This is also true. Cash rules everything around us.