Blackmoor Vituperative

This is a novel legal strategy. And so far it’s working. Last month, in an effort to preserve the state’s monopoly on legal gambling, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear sued to have 141 online gambling sites’ domains transferred to the state’s control. According to the Washington Post, a big part of Beshear’s election was based on bringing casinos to Kentucky.

Kentucky circuit court judge Thomas Wingate granted the request, ordering domain registrars to do just that. Wingate found that Kentucky’s anti-gambling statutes allowed such a court order in that gambling website domains are “gambling devices” under the state’s law.

But what jurisdiction does the Kentucky court have? Opponents say none, since none of the sites or the registrars are based in Kentucky.

(from Poker sites fight to get domain names back from Kentucky, ZDNet)

If a court in Elbonia is permitted to seize assets in Freedonia because an Elbonian law says they can, this is a HORRIFIC precedent. What’s next, if this travesty of jurisdiction is permitted to stand? China charging Americans with “crimes” like “counterrevolutionary acts”, or the USA charging foreign citizens with “crimes” like “copyright violation”, would not be too far behind.

This is a gross injustice and perversion of the law, and it needs to be stopped stone dead right now.