Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

The US has pocket AA suited and they just flop 7 of a kind. Some one tell Bush what to do and he will blow them up? I dont see any major changes until Hillary or Obama get in office.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

this has devolved into BBV/zoo type bickering. Maybe withdrawl with Milton seems enticing.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

Karak,

I think not following this ruling will give China and other far eastern economies free reign on violating US copyright laws which the US has been trying to get them to follow. It'd be a huge setback in that regard.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

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Karak,

I think not following this ruling will give China and other far eastern economies free reign on violating US copyright laws which the US has been trying to get them to follow. It'd be a huge setback in that regard.

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The US will IMO have to block all on-line gaming or lisence it. There seems to be no middle position.

Although I could see a Wexler type poker on-line solution making all this go away for the US and the current administration. I just don't see it happening before Jan 2009 at the soonest.


D$D

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

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Although I could see a Wexler type poker on-line solution making all this go away for the US and the current administration.

D$D

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A Wexler-type poker solution does not make the WTO issue go away. DUCY?

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

[ QUOTE ]
Karak,

I think not following this ruling will give China and other far eastern economies free reign on violating US copyright laws which the US has been trying to get them to follow. It'd be a huge setback in that regard.

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Yeah I think this is similar to China's copyright issues in the sense that the ruling is completing meaningless.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

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Yeah I think this is similar to China's copyright issues in the sense that the ruling is completing meaningless.

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No. China can claim that they have illegal copying that they try to prevent and in any case the US does not really want sanctions on Chineses goods that keep Wal Mart prices low. The US position on China is to persuade them to do more, occasionaly talking tough.

In this case it is definitely the US government and Antigua can benefit by using the IPR sanctions plus the EU and the ROW will happily have a pop at some parts of the US export trade and demand greater access to US markets in other areas.

The US will be facing a big cost to maintain UIGEA and the Wire Act, China has little to fear in terms of US sanctions given their huge trade surplus and because all they need to do is gaol a few more pirates to be off the hook.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

It will all depend on the price tag. The US is no position to totally withdraw from GATTS and the WTO. The current US administration will never back off its anti-gambling stance unless forced to by congress. Congress will only force the issue if the price tag is big enough to hurt. That will depend on the outcome of the pending hearings.

Small price tag, Bush Admin will pay it.

Big price tag, Bush Admin will want to pay, but Congress will act (money talks). Congress' action would have to be either a total ban on online gambling or a totally open to foreign competition but regulated market.

The out of the box solution would be for Congress to authorize (and maybe regulate) all online skill gaming (and include their pet projects like pari-mutual horse racing and fantasy sports as skill games - and hopefully poker) while banning all online games of chance (and define sportsbetting as a game of chance to placate the leagues). This isnt quite the Wexler bill, but the Wexler bill is a good place to start.

Skallagrim

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

IMO, if and when the WTO grants Antiqua's request to lawfully ignore their IP obligations to US, then the music, movie and entertainment industry tells DEMS fix it or no more money. Soon thereafter, a bill to repeal UIGEA and exempt online gambling from all federal gambling laws is attached to must pass Iraq funding or other must pass budget bill.
However, no IP sanction and the Bush administration can skate. The legitimacy of the WTO is at stake. It either grants Antiqua's request or no small to medium nation, and most large ones, will not honor its decisions.

Re: thinktank says US will owe $100 billion
 

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The out of the box solution would be for Congress to authorize (and maybe regulate) all online skill gaming (and include their pet projects like pari-mutual horse racing and fantasy sports as skill games - and hopefully poker) while banning all online games of chance (and define sportsbetting as a game of chance to placate the leagues). This isnt quite the Wexler bill, but the Wexler bill is a good place to start.


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This is a horrible idea.

1> It is not up to Congress to "authorize" anything. Everything is supposed to be legal unless it is made illegal by law, not the other way around.

2> Splitting hairs is dangerous. What if poker ends up on the wrong side of the skill vs. chance split? Facts don't matter here; they rarely do in politics.

3> It is not up to Congress or anyone else in the Federal Government to determine what is or isn't gambling. That's a state power.