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WTO says piracy is ok in the Caribbean

The title of the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean is coming true (again), and it's going to be legal.

The World Trade Organization has decided that the United States was wrong in preventing Antigua and Barbuda from operating their online gambling sites to the US while also allowing online betting on horse racing--a dual standard.

The ruling comes after a five-year legal battle and ends in an odd ruling in which the two islands will be compensated for damages from the US by being allowed to freely make copies of any copyrighted material in films, TV, music and video games up to the amount of $21 million.

Mark Mendel, Antigua's lawyer in the case said, "That has only been done once before and is, I believe, a very potent weapon. I hope that the United States government will now see the wisdom in reaching some accommodation with Antigua over this dispute."

The US is not so sure that this is the right way to handle the settlement; the US Office of Trade thinks that the decision is "patently excessive." However, Antigua and Barbuda had originally asked for $3.44 billion a year, so coming away with paying only a fraction of this amount is a bargain.

The Office of US Trade also said, "...it would establish a harmful precedent for a WTO Member to affirmatively authorize what would otherwise be considered acts of piracy, counterfeiting, or other forms of IPR infringement."

In any event, if you're planning on going to the Caribbean for some rest or relaxation, you'll probably pick up some extremely good deals there on entertainment media. But bringing them home after your vacation is another matter.

[via hollywoodreporter]

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