31.5.06 | AllofMP3 is illegal, says music industry - NO SHIT!
So it seems that the lawyers have their sights set on the super cheap music site once again.
The site is run by a company called MediaServices and according to them, 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.
It has been suggested that the service falls through a loophole in Russian law; that public performances of recorded music do not require the authority of copyright holders; that the website pays ROMS and ROMS pays the artists; and that AllofMP3 operates within a grey area of the law.
Legal action has begun. There are two separate criminal proceedings ongoing in Russia. The public prosecutor in Moscow is taking a former director of MediaServices to trial. And a second case against a current director of MediaServices is in the investigation phase.
British consumers who buy music from an unlicensed site are infringing copyright. In theory, they could be sued by the music industry. However, the industry's legal action to date has targeted only those who upload music for others to access, using peer-to-peer services like Kazaa
Quite what that means to the longevity of the site remains to be seen, but something as good as allofmp3.com can't last forever. Can it?