On 9 okt, 03:53, Fred J. McCall wrote:
Crown-Horned Snorkack wrote:
:On 8 okt, 16:09, Fred J. McCall wrote:: BernardZ wrote:
:
: :
: :Worst case the company could pick the country that it was based on like
: :ships do today.
: :
:
: In the case of space, that doesn't save you unless all your people are
: willing to give up their citizenship.
:
:
:Really? Why?
:
Because many countries (like the US) sort of require it, since they
are still going to be responsible for the actions of THEIR citizens.
If they're going to be responsible, they want to control the company.
:
:Suppose that someone sets up a Liberian space ship. Some of the
assengers, employees and investors are citizens of countries other
:than Liberia.
:
:Presumably, if the rules on board the spaceship or in Moon colony are
:felt to be unfair to some of those involved, the consul of their
:native country in Liberia can complain to Liberian government and ask
:the Liberian government to enforce their laws.
:
:Whereas if those involved have given up their citizenship and become
:Liberian naturalized citizens, they have no consuls to protect them,
:but they can themselves complain to Liberian government...
:
The law isn't about protecting the individuals. It's about
responsibility for actions that are essentially 'extra-territorial'.
If a Mongolian crewman does something on your Liberian spaceship that
leads to a couple of buildings getting smashed, who is responsible?
Hint: It doesn't work like ships, where the flag nation is
automatically responsible.
Ah, this part.
Read the Outer Space Treaty and Liability Convention then.
Nowhere is the citizenship of persons mentioned. I see references to
launching state, and to states whose territory is used for launch as
well as states performing or procuring the launch, but not to persons.
When a Soviet spacecraft (unmanned) crashed in Canada, Soviet Union
paid for damage. Should a US spaceship launched or about to land in
Florida crash in Cuba, USA would pay Cuba for the damages.
Columbia carried an Israeli citizen. If a US shuttle with an Israeli
citizen aboard were to crash in Cuba, would Israel be jointly and
severally liable for the damages done to Cuba, or would the damages be
paid by USA alone?