Mark it on your calendars (or just check back here) around October 22. The case of the Governor Beshear and the Commonwealth of Kentucky trying to claim the ability to seize 141 online gaming domains, or \”gambling devices\” as they were called, to keep them from accessing Kentucky residents will see the halls of the KY Supreme Court next month on an appeal from the Commonwealth.
Many months ago, a group of organizations representing internet freedoms and the rights of online gambling companies won an important appeal in the Kentucky court system, and that victory prohibited the Commonwealth from proceeding with its attempted seizure of those domains. The state promised to appeal to the Supreme Court, and that latest appeal was granted this month. Those fighting the state on the matter include iMEGA (Internet Media Entertainment & Gaming Association), PPA (Poker Players Alliance), ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), CDT (Center for Democracy and Technology, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), Internet Commerce Association, eBay, and Network Solutions. (Can we win on number of appellees alone?)
According to iMEGA\’s announcement:
The Supreme Court has set oral argument in Commonwealth of Kentucky v. IMEGA, et al for 11 a.m. on Thursday October 22, 2009 in the Supreme Court courtroom. The order allots 15 minutes for each side.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and we’re going to win again,†said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA’s chairman. “From the beginning, Kentucky law has clearly supported our position, and a win in the State Supreme Court will put the final emphasis on that.â€
I wonder if any online sites are taking action on whether or not this goes all the way to the US Supreme Court.
I’d hate to see it appealed again, as these organizations have already spent a lot of money on this case, but I wouldn’t mind a Supreme Court decision about this.
I’m not gonna say it’s a “landmark” case … but well beyond poker and gambling, it has everything to do with how laws and political boundaries are interpreted in cyberspace … touches on so many issues.
Actually, here’s my prediction … it gets sent to the US Supreme Court but they decide not to hear it.