Trade

U.S. Trade Rep: Russian MP3 Store Barrier to WTO Accession

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 5, 2006 - 4:48pm.

Washington - The U.S. Trade Representative has called on Russia to shutter music download store AllofMP3.com, pointing to it as an impediment to the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Reuters reported. Susan Schwab previously identified the site -- which sells songs for pennies -- as the "poster child" for online music piracy. "I have a hard time imagining Russia becoming a member of the WTO and having a Web site like that up and running that is so clearly a violation of everyone's intellectual property rights," U.S. Trade Representative Schwab told Reuters. The recording industry has been trying for some time to pressure Russian authorities to shut down AllofMP3.com, but despite an investigation that found the site is breaking Russian laws, prosecutors in Moscow have not taken action thus far against the company. The topic will likely be resurrected next week at another meeting between U.S. and Russian officials on WTO accession.

Washington Post: U.S., Antigua Tussle at WTO Over 'Net Gambling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 4, 2006 - 12:02pm.

Washington - The Washington Post on Friday reported on the ongoing dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) between the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the U.S. over Internet gambling. After the U.S. cracked down on offshore online casino operators in 2002, the island nation filed a complaint at the WTO, claiming U.S. laws prohibiting Internet gambling violated international trade accords. Antigua won an initial ruling in 2004, which said the U.S. must either ban all forms of online gambling -- Americans can currently wager on horses online -- or allow offshore sites to accept wagers from U.S. citizens. However, the U.S. may simply choose to ignore the ruling, in which case Antigua plans to ask the WTO for the right to copy and export U.S. DVDs and CDs as a form of sanction.

WTO to Probe Whether U.S. 'Net Gambling Laws Violate Intl. Accords

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 19, 2006 - 1:05pm.

Geneva - The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced on Wednesday that it has established a panel that will investigate whether U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling violate international trade rules, the Associated Press reported.

MediaBay Shares to Continue Trading on Nasdaq

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2005 - 7:59am.

Cedar Knolls, N.J. - Spoken word audio distributor MediaBay announced on Thursday that it has received notification from the Nasdaq that its shares are now fully in compliance with listing qualifications, and will continue trading on the exchange. New Jersey-based MediaBay last month effected a 1-for-6 reverse stock split aimed at boosting its share price back above the Nasdaq's minimum listing requirement.

tags: MediaBay | Nasdaq | Trade |

WTO Rules U.S. Online Gambling Ban Violates Free Trade Agreements

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2004 - 7:48am.

Geneva -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the U.S. is violating free trade agreements by banning U.S. residents from gambling at online casinos operated out of the island state of Antigua and Barbuda. In its 287-page report, the WTO said the U.S. online gambling ban constitutes an unfair trade barrier, and was not specifically addressed by the U.S. in a 1994 global free trade agreement. "We will vigorously appeal this deeply flawed report to the WTO Appellate Body," said U.S. Trade Representative spokesman Richard Mills. "The WTO agreements confirmed the rights of Members to protect public morals and public order." If the U.S. appeal fails and it does not implement the WTO's ruling, Antigua and Barbuda would be justified in imposing trade sanctions against the U.S., although such sanctions would likely do more damage than good to the tiny nation's economy.

World Trade Organization Says U.S. 'Net Gambling Ban Violates Trade Laws

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 26, 2004 - 4:14am.

New York -- In a decision that the Bush administration has already vowed to appeal, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that U.S. laws prohibiting Internet gambling violate international trade laws, The New York Times reported on Friday. The island nations of Antigua and Bermuda originally brought the case to the WTO, arguing that it is hypocritical of the U.S. to ban cross-border online gambling sites based there while allowing American casino operators to establish overseas online gambling operations for foreign bettors. It is against the law for U.S. citizens to gamble online, and legislators have gone so far as to target secondary enablers like credit card companies, which are prohibited from allowing bettors to set up accounts to cover gambling debts. "It cannot be allowed to stand that another nation can impose its values on the U.S. and make it a trade issue," Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) told The Times. A representative of the islands told The Times that, should the U.S. fail with its appeal, Antigua and Barbuda would be within international law if they were to then raise tariffs on American companies doing business there.