The US and several WTO members looking for compensation in the Internet gambling case have extended the settlement deadline to December 14, since parties could not come to an agreement by Monday's deadline.
U.S. officials have not said how much compensation the trading partners are seeking, but last month said reports it could exceed $100 billion were "exaggerated."
"Each negotiation is proceeding at its own pace, and some are quite advanced. However, we have agreed to extend the negotiation period for all claimants," (Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office) said.http://in.reuters.com/article/busine...30108920071022U.S. officials initially said they did not believe compensation was warranted, but have been in talks with seven WTO members -- India, the European Union, Japan, Costa Rica, Macao, Canada and Australia -- on a compensation package.
Antigua is pressing for the right to slap $3.4 billion in "cross retaliation" on the United States by suspending copyright protections on American movies, music and software.
Hamel conceded that Antigua remains more focused on litigating its case, then negotiating a compensation package with the United States. But "we believe that negotiations hold the most promise for resolving this issue," she said.