Quote Originally Posted by pocoloco78 View Post
I cannot believe that a non-US webmaster with non-US domainnames, non-US hosting and non-US content do have to comply if he is selling to US citizens. Then we should also comply with chinese laws, arabian laws and so on.

Let's translate the "cyberworld" to the "real world": An American tourist comes to Amsterdam (there are thousands of them right now, because of the so-called international canabisweek). He goes to a "coffeeshop" to buy some joints. Nothing illegal about that in Holland as you all know. Just because the customer is a US citizen, the coffeeshop owner should comply to US regulations and should not sell the joints ? This is not realistic.

US regulations do not count for those who do not live / host in the US. The FBI is not authorised to go after the webmasters who are in this (ideal) situation.

That is not the same.

It is perfectly legal for a US citizen to travel to Amsterdam, smoke a joint and rent a prostitute.
It NOT legal for someone in Amsterdam to ship that same joint to a guy in Mobile, Alabama.

The important location is where the product is delivered, not where it came from, so a webmaster in Amsterdam with servers in Amsterdam does not need to comply with US law until he delivers products to a consumer in the US. Once that webmaster allows his product to be delivered to a US consumer, he is obligated to comply with US law or else decline delivery. If you want to take advantage of a particular market, you must comply with the laws that apply to sale in that market.

The laws of the US apply to anyone that sells to US consumers that are located in the US. The laws of any jurisdiction apply to goods and services delivered to that location; that is not just some US anomaly. In your Amsterdam scenario, the goods are delivered within a jurisdiction where it is legal to do so, but would land you in jail if you delivered those goods to the same consumer on US soil.