"Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies".
From now on we will just see the far shorter version, the TOPGTAOSITEAUOOSITMAOCB. You can read the full text of the treaty here. As space treaties go, its a cracker - print of the PDF and take it on holiday.
"He could sell the moon to an astronaut."
Anyway, the TOPGTAOSITEAUOOSITMAOCB had a loop hole in that it didn't initially prohibit individuals making claim to parts of outer space... so in 1980 an American by the name of Denis Hope decided he would claim the moon and elsewhere. He sent a letter to the UN, USA and the USSR and said he was claiming all non-Terran surfaces in the solar system. He gave them the chance to respond, they didn't. Its a moot point to say that he really does own the moon, but its never been challenged. Even if it was , in the UK at least, there isn't the legal framework to accommodate the challenge. (It reminds me very much of Sealand which I blogged about a while back on salted.net )
Slice of Venus
Moonestates.com are based in lil' ol' snozzle but most people don't know they are there, I didn't until last week. In 2000 this local company purchases the exclusive rights from Denis Hope to sell in plots on the moon the UK. So if you were to try to sell the Moon yourself , you would get a pretty heavy weight Cease and Desist, by all accounts.
If its legal or not nobody can really say, but I have been thinking about the more important moral question:
Are they ripping you off?
Its true that they are selling you something that, in the clear bounds of sense, they don't really own. But equally you know that when you buy it unless your really quite distant from reality (they do offer a 30 day refund).
Moonestates.com been written about in the press, on Watchdog, interviewed by Patrick Moor and on and on... and it seems the most of the world gets the concept and its nebulousness. There is always an exception, however and its often the same trouble makers: that's right, the Astronomer Royal is back to his old tricks; kicking up fuss and stirring the moon-soup. He pressured the Office of Fair trading to investigate and they did, but couldn't find that Moon Estates were doing anything illegal etc.My Concerns are Universal
It might seem all good... but... I'm a little bit troubled about their claims as to the location, location, location of the plots they sell, and the quality. When buying from Moon Estates you're at a purchase disadvantage. If they are advertising "wonderful crater-side location with astounding view of Sinus Roris," you cannot really know if you're being sold some craggy escarpment on the Dark Side of The Moon. I'm not saying they are unscrupulous, but as with any property deal, take the steps and do your searches.
Oh Lairrd, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz
As well as the Moon, Venus, Mercury, (ED - Try to come up with a gag here, this part of the post is not so funny) and Pluto, the Moon Estates people also sell a very small patch of the Scottish Highlands for a very small amount of money. Once you own this you can naturally call yourself Laird or Lady of Kincavel. The legal plausibility of this is far stronger than the moon but again, has never been tested in court, as far as I am aware. They also sell shares in other things like singles shares in football clubs or Caburies chocolates.
You could make a million arguments supporting the ridiculousness of what Moon Estates does, and they would probably all be valid. But isn't it all pointless? Isn't every purchase, every claim to property, every spec of ownership that dots humanities meaningless meandering through the futile corridors of history just like buying a slice of the moon?
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