But as the court ruled that the platform (which Bates was now calling "Sealand") was outside British territorial limits, being beyond the then 3-nautical-mile (6 km) limit of the country's waters, the case could not proceed.
Pero como o tribunal decidiu que a plataforma (que Bates agora chamaba "Sealand") estaba fóra dos límites territoriais británicos, estando fóra das 3 millas náuticas do límite das augas territoriais do país, o caso non procedía.