At least he has a claim in accordance with the Terra (Luna?) Nullis rules used to establish ownership of otherwise unclaimed and uninhabited land.
If the claim would stand in an International tribunal context is questionable. However, it maybe likely that there would be some kind of compensation, should his claims (and those of the people buying from him) be nullified at some point in time. In the end, I'd say that the value of the claims depend on what humanity does with the moon in future. If they colonize or mine or otherwise exploit it - which would require some sort of ownership arrangements, then his claims are likely to be worth something, if one considers the precedents in kolonial history. Of course, there is the issue that on Earth teritories have been claimed on behalf of governments and individuals had been chartered to do so at the time. However, the mere filing of the claim in an American land registry by an individual could even be taken as a base to claim American jurisdiction over the moon - a scary thought. On the other hand, he did declare independence (uncontested) and proclaimed his own nation state and government. Legally, this is likely to be an interesting case to decide on, if it ever comes to that. Still, I believe that there are just enough "registered property owners" for the moon, to make enough of an impact to warrant some sort compensation, if not indeed validation, at some point in the future. So, as a long term investment gamble, buying a few acres of the moon certainly beats buying lottery tickets. The odds of winning are better and the bragging rights are priceless :o) Cheers, Robert. budget & privacy website hosting http://www.cyberica.net e-commerce & e-business services http://www.cyfrocash.net budget domain registrations http://www.u2planet.com --- You are currently subscribed to e-gold-list as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Use e-gold's Secure Randomized Keyboard (SRK) when accessing your e-gold account(s) via the web and shopping cart interfaces to help thwart keystroke loggers and common viruses.
