pirate flags??

[ajc]

I heard somewhere that it was illegal to fly a pirate flag on a boat/ship, is this true?

[Judge]

I heard somewhere that it was illegal to fly a pirate flag on a boat/ship, is this true?

No. Your are free, under maritime and admiralty law, to fly a priate flag. But you must also fly the flag of the country you are subject to. Under admiralty, the ship's flag determines the source of law. For example, a ship flying the American flag in the Persian Gulf would be subject to American admiralty law; and a ship flying a Norwegian flag in American waters will be subject to Norwegian admiralty law. This also applies to criminal law governing the ship's crew. But the ship must be flying the flag legitimately; that is, there must be more than insubstantial contact between the ship and its flag, in order for the law of the flag to apply. American courts may refuse jurisdiction where it would involve applying the law of another country, although in general international law does seek uniformity in admiralty law.