US record labels bring suit against AllofMP3.com

But what control do US courts have over a Russian website?

21 December 2006 11:57 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Russian download site AllofMP3.com has not had a great year. The latest in a long list of persecutions comes from US record labels, who are filing suit in New York.

Arista Records, Warner Bros, Capitol, and UMG recordings are all going after Mediaservices, the parent company behind AllofMP3.com, for selling songs without permission.

Mediaservices has long maintained it is operating legally because it pay royalties to a Russian licensing body. However, that body isn’t recognised by the music industry.

Although AllofMP3.com charges for downloads, it does so at much lower prices than other legal downloading sites.

The BPI, the British music industry body, received permission in July to sue the site. The BPI’s general cousel, Roz Groome, said at the time, “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 permission of the copyright owners.”

The Russian government agreed earlier this month to shut the site down, after it was named as one of the obstacles preventing Russia’s admittance to the World Trade Organisation.

However, as of today, the site is still up and running.