Lunar Embassy closed in China

[alokmohan]

- A Chinese appeals court has upheld a ban on a company from selling land on the moon, ruling that "celestial bodies" could not be anyone's property, state media said on Saturday.<br /><br /> Link <br /><br />Lunar Embassy to China, a Beijing-based company that sold plots of lunar land to individuals, sued the Beijing Administration of Industry and Commerce which revoked its business licence and fined it 50 000 yuan ($6 500) in October 2005.<br /><br />Haidian District People's Court ruled against the company in November 2005. On Friday, the Beijing First Intermediate People's Court upheld that decision, Xinhua news agency said.<br /><br />The court cited an international treaty that China signed in 1983.<br /><br />"The treaty states that outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by other means... The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries," Xinhua said.<br /><br />The company offered to sell individuals ownership of an acre of lunar land for 298 yuan each.<br /><br />"Within three days of opening for business, it was reported that 34 clients had bought 49 acres of land, earning the company more than 14 000 yuan.<br /><br />"There was no indication if the company provided discounts to clients who bought multiple plots."<br /><br />China meanwhile may launch its first lunar satellite in September 2007, the official People's Daily said in its overseas edition on Saturday, quoting the head of the country's Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defence.<br /><br />China's space programme has rocketed ahead in recent years. In 2003, China put a man in space, becoming only the third country to do so, after the Soviet Un

 

[vogon13]

Now of we can just get International Star Registry . . . .<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Well, I've got a coupla acres on the moon we can send em to <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vandivx]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The court cited an international treaty that China signed in 1983.<br /><br />"The treaty states that outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by other means... The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries," Xinhua said.<br /><p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />that treaty is such a hogwash of simpleton idealism, once the travel to outer space bodies becomes realistic for commercial usage, it will be abrogated or at most paid lip service, at first anyway, it might possibly lead to another world war sometimes in the future<br /><br />people should be let to spend their money if they want to indulge in a pipe dream for it is just dream, you can't and don't really own anything if you can't enforce its possesion by some means should it be threatened<br /><br />vanDivX <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>