4 ms·

TL;DR: The US Government is in Hollywood's back pocket. The Ukraine has been identified as a major source of music and movie piracy. "The Special 301 report id

• polymatter 13y ago
  also noteworthy is the US is doing this unilaterally rather than go through the WTO, which is probably against WTO rules and possibly US law as well. This is the first time US has threatened a WTO member (while they are actually a member).
  • pyre 13y ago
    The WTO issued sanctions against the US for it's handling of foreign online casinos[1]. Did they ever honour those sanctions and pay up? I'm guessing not. That's probably against US law too. [1] http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds285_e.htm http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds285_e....
• rossjudson 13y ago
  Can we also say that the Ukrainian government is in piracy's back pocket, then? Or do you believe that the 301 report has incorrectly identified the Ukraine?
  • fijal 13y ago
    There is a major difference. The Ukrainian government does not do anything about the piracy. In theory it might be because gov is in piracy's pocket, but most likely they just don't care. It requires inaction from them, which is usually not very hard. However, the US government does stuff based on hollywood complaints. To be honest, circumventing WTO rules aside, the USTR is simply enforcing the law that was passed by the congress, so the congress sits in the pocket of Hollywood, not the USTR, if there is any link.
    • rossjudson 13y ago
      So what you're saying is that if a government agency decides to look the other way when a crime is being committed, they're not in the pocket of the criminals? Like if someone robs a bank, but the police decide not to do anything? So looking the other way is "neutral"?
      • jlarocco 13y ago
        Is providing "pirated" movies and music even a crime in Ukraine?
        • pawlyk 13y ago
          Providing "pirated" movies and music online it's not crime in Ukraine. I told you this as ukrainian citizen.
        • taranka 13y ago
          Only if it is politically motivated. Usually, police takes money and get out.
      • deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      • axus 13y ago
        The police in USA certainly look the other way when a bank in Ukraine is robbed. I think even if I called and reported an in-progress bank robbery in Ukraine, they would tell me it's not their jurisdiction.
        • pyre 13y ago
          That's not a good analogy. The 'crime' being committed here is actually being committed in the Ukraine. It's a question of whose laws are broken, and who should care. The US doesn't punish its citizens if they break the UK's strict defamation laws.
      • fijal 13y ago
• dghughes 13y ago
  China you're next! lol just kidding.