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Antigua and Barbuda is a small country in the Caribbean region, once known for its successful gambling industry. But thanks to the trade block imposed by the U.S., the industry collapsed over the years. Now, the Antigua government is planning to launch a website where it would sell movies, music and software made by US companies, without paying the owners.

The gambling industry in Antigua was once so successful that nearly 5% of the country’s total populace was employed in it. But then U.S. refused to allow the country access to its market which eventually caused an industry-wide decline. Antigua tried to appeal to international bodies to overturn the decision made by U.S., and WTO ruled in favor of Antigua but U.S. wouldn’t budge, clearly defying all international trade agreements.

Naturally, the small country has suffered for such snobbishness. According to Antigua’s High Commissioner in London, “What was once a multi-billion dollar industry in our country, employing almost 5% of our population has now shrunk to virtually nothing.”

There is but one way for Antigua to extract its rightful revenge on U.S. The country aims to start selling U.S. movies, software and music online through an official website. The best part is that Antigua wouldn’t be doing anything illegal by doing so. Given the fact that U.S. had been defying WTO’s agreements, the trade body allowed Antigua the right to suspend US copyrights.

And so, Antigua can offer all the content from U.S. online without paying a penny back to the original content owners. U.S. has actively tried to nab the efforts by the Antigua government, even threatening for dire consequences in some cases, but the island is adamant on going forth with its plans.

If all goes as planned, we may soon see a piracy website by Antigua government which would essentially allow bulk load of content, probably for a tiny price.

Courtesy: Torrent Freak

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