AllofMP3 is illegal, says music industry

by admin May 31, 2006 at 4:24 am

Legal action kick-started

A hugely popular seller of music downloads is illegal, according to the music industry, and prosecutions are underway. AllofMP3.com, a Moscow-based service that undercuts iTunes by enormous margins, was accused today of paying nothing to artists.

The website, run by MediaServices Inc, has long protested its innocence. Yet the prices are remarkable: a British shopper can download an album from iTunes Music Store for ?Ǭ£9.79; or typically about ?Ǭ£0.75 from AllofMP3, which prices its downloads by file size. And the choice is enormous. All those Beatles albums that Apple is not allowed to sell can be found at AllofMP3.com for under a pound.

According to MediaServices, everything is licensed by the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (ROMS) and the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (FAIR). MediaServices says that it pays licence fees “subject to the Law of the Russian Federation”. It adds that it is not responsible for the actions of foreign users.

Full story: The Register

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