LatinNews Daily Report - 31 January 2013

Antigua: On 28 January, Antigua & Barbuda gained World Trade Organization (WTO) approval for retaliatory measures against the US for blocking US citizens from using internet gaming services based in Antigua. The WTO ruling allows Antigua & Barbuda to retaliate by ignoring US intellectual property rights to the tune of US$21m annually. A spokesman for the US Trade Representative’s office warned: “Government-authorized piracy would undermine chances for a settlement. It also would serve as a major impediment to foreign investment in the Antiguan economy, particularly in high-tech industries. This is a long-standing dispute. Antigua complained to the WTO in 2003 and won a ruling that said the US was in contravention of its obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (Gats). The WTO is unable to enforce this ruling, but in 2007 it did authorize Antigua to take retaliatory action. Antigua has not so far taken the retaliatory action authorized by the WTO in 2007, preferring to negotiate. It has now gained WTO permission to activate the retaliatory measures. Dr McChesney Emanuel, Chairman of the Antigua & Barbuda Investment Authority, reacted to US warnings of dire consequences by saying that he assumed this was just “rhetoric for public consumption” and that Antigua looked forward to the US “putting aside these tactics and focusing their future efforts on thoughtful negotiation rather than hyperbole and intimidation”.

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