Antigua and Barbuda: a country that does not pay license fees in the US

Back in 2007, the World Trade Organization allowed a tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda to “steal” licensed software, feature films, music, and other digital goods protected by copyright. You can “steal” under two conditions: 1) if the goods belong to the United States copyright holders; 2) in the amount of not more than $ 21 million per year.

The WTO decision is part of compensation for the illegal blockade of the gaming sites of Antigua by the United States. This option is not too satisfied with the authorities of a small country, because they require compensation in the billions of dollars from the United States. But even 21 million a year is better than nothing. A few days ago, the government of Antigua and Barbuda announced that it intends to sell American content on the Internet. If the expansion of the quota of $ 21 million can be beaten out of the WTO, the island could become a media hub, the main center of commerce for American films and music on the Internet.

The islands of Antigua and Barbuda are one of the largest centers for online gambling, with 5% of the country's population working in this industry. But the US authorities have banned such games in the United States and illegally began to block access of citizens to foreign gaming sites, even in areas where the casino is allowed, for example, in Las Vegas. Antigua and Barbuda filed a complaint with the WTO and won the case, but the United States has not yet fulfilled the decisions of the international organization and has not paid the islands a fine. The damage to Antigua five years ago was estimated at $ 3.44 billion a year.
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Since the US is not going to compensate for the damage, the WTO began to look for other ways to take money from the debtor. Authorization of pirated products is one such way. Lawyers say that this type of compensation - issuing a permit to one state to violate the intellectual rights of another state - is extremely rare. Especially rare is the opening of an online store that will sell "pirated" products.