Becoming a multi-planet species

The problem with the present law is that nobody can own any of it so you can't find anyone you can buy a share from. That's why we need to change the law.
The US has realised this and made its own laws in 2015, but you can bet your boots - or a chunk of Moon rock you don't own anyway - if any American goes to the Moon to follow US laws there will be a court case on Earth and whoever takes the American to the Moon in the first place will get lawyer's bills to pay, so unless that American is taken there by a US Government mission by NASA or some such, it simply won't happen. If NASA takes folk to the Moon and starts Moon mining then the US taxpayer will get to pay the US lawyers' court bills and the US Government might not mind that so much. This might also be the case if China or Russia or Europe are the ones who go to the Moon so if lunar resources are mined it will probably be by terrestrial states rather than private enterprise - unless the private companies are working for their governments. Similarly, if lunar settlement does happen it will be terrestrial colonialism unless the laws are changed.

The US has realised this and made its own laws in 2015, but you can bet your boots - or a chunk of Moon rock you don't own anyway - if any American goes to the Moon to follow US laws there will be a court case on Earth and whoever takes the American to the Moon in the first place will get lawyer's bills to pay, so unless that American is taken there by a US Government mission by NASA or some such, it simply won't happen. If NASA takes folk to the Moon and starts Moon mining then the US taxpayer will get to pay the US lawyers' court bills and the US Government might not mind that so much. This might also be the case if China or Russia or Europe are the ones who go to the Moon so if lunar resources are mined it will probably be by terrestrial states rather than private enterprise - unless the private companies are working for their governments. Similarly, if lunar settlement does happen it will be terrestrial colonialism unless the laws are changed.