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Kentucky judge OKs 141-site net casino land grab • The Register: "The dispute is the latest example of the difficulty of regulating activity on the internet, a medium that in many ways breaks down geographical boundaries. If decisions like Wingate's are allowed to propagate, any site on the once freewheeling internet could be subject to the laws of the most world's most restrictive states."
(Via The Register.)
This isn't the first story we've read about this and probably won't be the last. Basically, The Kentucky State Attorney General filed a secret case in a secret court to seize 141 domain names of international gaming sites under the claim that the sites could be visited by citizens of Kentucky in violation of Kentucky law.
First... since when does a state attorney general have any say over what a foreign owned, hosted and located company does, much less what right does he have to take their property?
I'm surprised that he hasn't moved to grab the properties of the legal brothels of Nye County Nevada as prostitution is illegal in Kentucky and citizens of Kentucky could and probably do patronize those houses when they come to Las Vegas. Hell, he might end up seizing the entire Las Vegas Strip using that logic.
Second... how can a judge hear an appeal on a case he decided, much less uphold it?
If this kangaroo court decision is allowed to stand, then no website or person on the internet is safe. Any government agency in the world will be able to seize, shut down or discipline them. Carried to an extreme, a mullah in Iran could seize the assets of Playboy, Victoria's Secret, Anheiser-Busch and Farmer John because their products are illegal in Iran under muslim law and muslims from Iran might get their hands on those items. (Their products include, "pornography, skimpy clothing for women, alcoholic beverages and pork products respectively.)
California could decide that Toyota cars produce too many pollutants, market their cars to Californians and then seize Toyota's assets around the word.
Communist China could seize the assets of western websites which post information that China finds offensive or information it doesn't want the population of China to see.
This is a very, very bad decision. If it wasn't so dangerous, it'd be laughable.
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