Business
Antigua & Barbuda gets OK from WTO to become copyright haven
Observers have suggested, for example, a subscription service to access copyright-free American music, or a pay-per-download site that charges pennies for Hollywood hits.
Mendel cautioned that whatever ends up being set up, it wouldn’t be an Antiguan version of The Pirate Bay, the free-for-all file sharing site whose name has become synonymous with illegal downloads.
“We aren’t going to be flaunting the rules,” he said in a telephone interview last week. “It’s not piracy if you have the right to do it.”
The proposed copyright haven may still never see the light of day; Mendel said Antigua & Barbuda’s goal remains a negotiated settlement with U.S. authorities over the gambling dispute.
Even if such a haven were set up, international fans of free downloads may want to exercise caution. Antiguans may be allowed to download legally, but for those outside the country the legal regime remains murky.
Nevertheless, the notion of a country of 89,000 people standing up to the powerful United States on intellectual property matters has caught the imagination of many – especially those who believe that U.S. copyright rules are too restrictive.
“It’s time for small countries to be treated fairly in these organizations,” said Mendel.
Copyright 2013. The Associated Press
