shouting loudly

WTO to Antigua: Violate $21m of US Copyrights

To help Antigua recover part of the vast sums lost due to the US blocking online gambling, the World Trade Organization is allowing the Carribean nation to make unauthorized copies of $21 million worth of US goods.

The decision is surprising, but it will be hard to enforce. US trade representatives and copyright industry attorneys will certainly contest the dollar value of every infringement (ask Jammie Thomas about this one), and the Times quotes an unnamed trade official warning that “such behavior would ‘undermine Antigua’s claimed intentions of becoming a leader in legitimate electronic commerce, and would severely discourage foreign investment’ in the country.”