[hackerspaces] Radio Shack Hackerspace Challenge: $1000 Prize!

[Yves Quemener]

On 26/05/13 16:36, Walter van Holst wrote:
> On 2013-05-26 09:26, Yves Quemener wrote:
>> "In case of disagreements the jurisdiction of application will be <county>
>> <state>. "
>>
>> There.
> 
> Depending on the way the applications are going to be judget it might very
> well fall within scope of the gambling laws in this particular jurisdiction
> (NL) if applications from NL are accepted (again, depending on how much it
> was 'aimed' at residents of NL). If so, Radio Shack would be legally
> required to get a permit from the Dutch government. So there. Anyway,
> you're naively assuming that all jurisdictions work the same and that
> getting legal advice on hundreds of jurisdictions is without cost.

A Dutch citizen taking part to a competition located in the USA and
accepting a contract that says that this contract is applicable under the
US law is the only one responsible of respecting also the laws of his own
country. Note that the challenge we are talking about is physically located
in the US.

I don't think that there is a single country out there claiming universal
competence on gambling. Even most human rights violation don't have that
string attached. Even as a citizen of a country with different gambling and
arms laws, I can go to a casinos in Las Vegas, I can go to a gun show or a
shoot range without approval from the French government.

Indeed, Radioshack could make inappropriate advertisement in NL toward NL
citizens, but there again, this is not something new : every country has
its rules about advertisements. Posting on an international mailing list
using English as the main language is clearly not targeting a precise
country. And I may add, targeting NL citizens on a US billboard would
probably not be illegal either.

Plus, I think that no example of such a contest causing this kind of
trouble can be shown.

I still doubt that there is more to this situation than inertia and
irrational fears.

Iv