Ben Reid
3 Jul 2006 10:25
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has been cleared to sue popular Russian music download site AllofMP3.com in London's High Court.
AllofMP3, which offers music downloads at extremely low costs (as little as £1 / $1.85 for an album), is Britain's second most popular online music download source, trailing only Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store for pole position according to one survey. AllofMP3 has always insisted it is a legal service in compliance with local copyright laws. However, according to the music labels, AllofMP3 doesn't have the required permission to distribute their songs.
"The reason AllofMP3.com downloads are cheap is that neither the artists nor the record companies are being paid," told BPI General Counsel Roz Groome. "We have maintained all along that this site is illegal and that the operator of the site is breaking UK law by making sound recordings available to UK based customers without the permission of the copyright owners."
"Now we will have the opportunity to demonstrate in the UK courts the illegality of this site," he continued.
The High Court has given its approval to serve legal proceedings against AllofMP3 and its owner MediaServices Inc. in Russia ahead of a UK court case, the BPI said in a statement on Monday.
Even if the BPI sucessfully prove that that AllofMP3 is an illegal service, it's unlikely that any decision in the UK would result in the closure of the site. Russia would not be obliged to implement rulings of a foreign court, according to experts. However, with president Vladmir Putin looking to bring his country into the World Trade Organization (WTO), Russia could be pressured to take action against the site.
Sources:
Reuters &
BetaNews