CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. -- Imagine being able to download your favorite movies for a fraction of the current cost. Download all seasons of Breaking Bad for ten dollars, blockbusters available the day after leaving theaters for five dollars, or a brand new edition of Adobe Photoshop for two dollars. And not a single royalty payout (http://www.metacomet.com/royalty-accounting/) to the property owners. This could be the reality by the end of the year.

Our story begins, with the shady world of off-shore gambling in 2003. At the time, Antigua and Barbuda had a flourishing gaming industry. Its major users? Americans. Arguing that the gaming portal violated international gaming laws, the U.S. sued Antigua and Barbuda through the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO sided with America, and the offshore gaming portal has since been shut down.

The destruction of this gaming portal has had a devastating effect on the economy of Antigua and Barbuda. The small countries, made up of about 85 thousand people, had grown dependant on the gaming industry as their source of survival in the world.

Looking to protect its own interests, Antigua and Barbuda petitioned the WTO in 2004 to have the U.S. compensate them for the money they lost when the sites were shut down. The WTO found in favor of Antigua and Barbuda and commanded that the U.S. pay 21 million dollars to Antigua and Barbuda, the amount the WTO deemed they lost each year as a result.

As of right now, the U.S. hasn’t paid the fee, and has, instead, spent years in negotiations. Antigua and Barbuda put forth the idea of the portal on the table as leverage, and a way to reinvigorate their economy. The WTO has agreed to allow Antigua and Barbuda to suspend U.S. copyrights; to sell movies, TV shows, and other types of intellectual property for little or no cost to the user, without the need for revenue sharing with the owners.

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