- PAH!! - Who needs stinkin' little ol' piece of moon dirt? I would much rather
get a whole star!!!**
But in the mean time, let's analyze this. So Dennis Hope found a loophole that (so he claims) allows him to sell lots on the moon. At the same time, the very same UN Outer Space Treaty that provides the loophole also states that the moon and other celestial bodies are not, and can not be, owned by any (terrestrial) government. But what happens if someone else comes along and starts to sell lunar land plots as well - perhaps even the very same ones that Mr. Hope has already "sold"???
If that happened here, Mr. Hope would take you to court and present his title to the land and challenge your right to resell the title without ownership. But in the case of a lunar land rights dispute, no U.S. (or any other terrestrial) court has jurisdiction, due to the very same UN Outer Space Treaty. And there is no recognized Lunar Government with authority or jurisdiction either. Thus, there is no way for Mr. Hope to appeal to any recognized authority to prevent anyone else from laying claim to and selling "his" moon property.
So what we have here is a business model that, according to Mr. Hope, has resulted in over 2,000,000 sales at $29.00 each, or gross proceeds of >$58,000,000. Combine that with the lack of any government with jurisdiction over lunar land disputes, and the inability of Mr. Hope to prevent the formation of similar companies. To me, it sounds like the result is a great opportunity for a start-up business! Anyone interested in opening up a "Lunar Real Estate Office" ???
(note to self: copy this one over to the "Fundraising" thread!
)
-dave
** actually, I did this several many years ago for my wife for her birthday. It was a lot of fun, and you do get a nice certificate out of the deal (even if it has no real legitimacy with the
formal star naming process that is managed by the
International Astronomical Union).