Innovation Asset Blog

Digital pirates may find safe harbor in Caribbean

U.S. regulators have been diligently working with industry leaders and consumer advocates to evolve strong but fair copyright protection rules for the digital economy. As high-tech enforcement mechanisms continue to be piloted and refined, the system may soon encounter a surprising offshore threat.

According to Reuters, delegates from Antigua and Barbuda will appear before the World Trade Organization at the end of the month and present plans for hosting a music, movie and software distribution website which ignores American copyright law.

The move stems from a long-running dispute with the U.S. in which WTO rules were applied to shut down an online gambling destination. Since Antigua was not rightly afforded access to comparable services following the original decision, officials appealed and won the right to impose trade sanctions against the U.S. Considering a ban on U.S. imports would be untenable for the small island nation, credit has been converted into intellectual property instead.

The exact logistics of the plan are still unknown, according to BBC News, but one model could involve refraining from royalty distribution until a certain profit threshold is met.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.