The tiny Caribbean island of Antigua is finally getting some economic revenge on the US, which derailed its booming gambling industry 10 years ago. That's good news for Antiguans, but it could also be very big news for the rest of us—because the country’s long-awaited compensation includes the right to launch a platform that offers open access to copyright-protected TV, movies, books, and software to anyone in the world.

Think about it: This means the site could sell the latest blockbuster or HBO hit on the cheap, or even free of charge, without having to compensate US rights holders. (Fingers crossed for free streaming of the rest of Homeland.) The blogosphere has touted the plan as the ultimate piracy platform, but in fact Antigua won't be violating any laws by ignoring the intellectual property protection.

How we wound up at this legal clusterfuck starts back in the early 2000's, when Antigua was enjoying a flourishing, multi-billion-dollar online gambling trade. It was the country's second biggest industry, until the US blocked it from selling to the American market, which Antigua claimed devastated its economy.