Fedora 9 to remove pointers to proprietary codecs

"what's needed is non-US repositories"

There are non-US repositories which provide RPM packages of software which potentially runs
afoul of US laws.  That's not a problem for Fedora users who wish to use such software.
They're excellently served by some very capable creators and maintainers mostly based in the
EU.

The problem is that Red Hat (or the Fedora Project itself ... possibly both?) could be found
guilty of contributory infringement just for pointing people to those repositories. This
problem doesn't exist for Canonical (incorporated on the Isle of Man IIRC) or for ALT Linux
(from Siberia according to the poster above). It will exist for them as soon as, or if, they
start trying to do business in the USA. So, as soon as your distribution becomes commercially
competitive in one of the major marketplaces the issue will suddenly mean that you are
vulnerable to this threat.

For any commercial enterprise holding assets in the USA there will remain a problem as long as
the USA has laws on the books which stifle innovation and competition.