Russia agrees to investigate Allofmp3

Russia agrees to investigate Allofmp3
Russia has bowed under the U.S. pressure and has agreed to investigate the legality of the controversial AllofMP3.com music service.

As Russia signed an agreement with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, in order to get an entry to the World Trade Organization, it has agreed to take action against digital piracy. U.S. Trade Representative has issued a press release stating that Russia will "investigate and prosecute companies that illegally distribute copyright works on the Internet". So, this incldues AllfMP3.com and other similar services that operate in Russia.



The problem is, however, that AllofMP3 is a legal service under the current Russian copyright legislation. The company sells music over the Net for extremely cheap price, without DRM hassle and allows customers to freely choose the audio compression method and quality they wish to have their music encoded with. As a summary, the site works exactly like a good legal online distribution channel should work, in order to fight against P2P networks. The problem, U.S. government and the lobby groups behind its demands, has with AllofMP3 and other similar services is that the royalties the companies pay to labels, are minimal or non-existent -- but still in line with the current Russian legislation.

AllofMP3 has been under a heavy international pressure lately, in Denmark an ISP was forced to close access to its site, last year German court ordered all German sites advertising or linking to AllofMP3 to cease their activity and in October this year, Visa stopped accepting payments made to AllofMP3.

It is interesting to see whether these companies will simply move their operations overseas (one would assume there are still ex-Soviet states left that have copyright legislations similar to the current Russian legislation) or would they try to accommodate to the new situation in Russia (where the legislation will inevitably change soon to satisfy U.S. -based labels' demands).

Source: CNet

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 29 Nov 2006 23:01
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  • 39 comments
  • sam1dog

    AllofMP3 is great. $2 bucks a cd. Thats what they should be. None of this $12 bulls$ht.

    30.11.2006 00:54 #1

  • garmoon

    If Russian authorities close it down, I can see it moving to some comfy offshore island nation!

    30.11.2006 03:01 #2

  • gpb42

    there are tons of ways to get free mp3's. there always will be. who cares about a this one site? there are trillions of websites out there, and plenty support illegal trading of music.
    by the way, $12 dollars a CD? they are more than that. the bottom line is artists don't care on the whole, the companies care. why would an artist care that a guy downloads their music, loves it, tells his friends, maybe they buy the CD, maybe not, but they will like the music and respect the artist. Respect, that's worth a trillion times more than money.

    30.11.2006 06:36 #3

  • pablova

    you think $2 bucks is good check out 'AllTunes'. go on give it a go google it.

    30.11.2006 08:23 #4

  • Auslander

    Originally posted by gpb42:there are tons of ways to get free mp3's. there always will be. who cares about a this one site? there are trillions of websites out there, and plenty support illegal trading of music.
    the problem is that it gives more support to governments buckling to the media corporations and the whims of corporations in general. this is a weakness, not something to be apathetic about.



    My childhood is gone, because I loved you.
    Whether you love politics, or hate it, if you bring it up on this site, you're retarded. ^.^ (this will go when gerry and dunker get rid of theirs).
    Ich bin der Ausländer.

    30.11.2006 08:32 #5

  • ZippyDSM

    this is why the governments across the world should smack the media mafia back into their palce,I dont mind a 1% tax on all "offending" items (net,new comps,sound/vid digi devices,blank media) and the governments will make sharing leagle and give some money to poor poor media mafia,this way they can never sue a person again unless they sell "copies"........

    30.11.2006 09:18 #6

  • advent

    More bully boy tactics from the usa.
    It's about time the rest of the world governments found their backbone and told the usa to get stuffed.
    Apart from music, i cant remember the last time anything
    good came out of the usa.

    30.11.2006 09:25 #7

  • DVDdoug

    The bottom line is that AllOfMP3 is violating the copyright. They are distributing copies without permission of the copyright owner. It may be "legal" in Russia, but it's morally WRONG!

    You might like free music. You might not like paying $15-$20 for a CD that has one good song. Maybe you don't like paying $1.00 for a DRM'ed song. ...I don't like the situation either.

    But, the artist has sold the copyright to the record company. He/she didn't have to do that. They could have remained independent and/or sold their own CDs on the Internet, or even allowed free downloads. But, they "sold out" because they wanted to be rich and famous. That's their right. They created the music. They own it, and they have the right to sell it to the record company, or to keep it to themselves and not allow any copies at any price... whatever... they own it!

    Now, the record company owns the copyright, and they have a legal right to charge whatever they want. That's the free market... If the buyer and seller can't agree on a price, there's no sale.

    Western society has a long traditon of intellectual/creative property rights. You may not agree, but it's considered unethical, immoral, and illegal to steal someone's copyrighted work.

    30.11.2006 11:26 #8

  • ZippyDSM

    DVDdoug
    I guess you dislike free thought to....
    because its to out of the box for you to handle...


    "Western society has a long traditon of intellectual/creative property rights. You may not agree, but it's considered unethical, immoral, and illegal to steal someone's copyrighted work."

    and this right constancy get broken and over looked when the person breaking them has more money.....

    30.11.2006 11:33 #9

  • djgizmo

    I agreee, there will ALWAYS be a way to get free mp3s.

    Who cares about this one site? Agreed, it is ONE site, but as a independant web store who pays (small time) artists and labels, if they're making money off of artists WITHOUT their permission, then they are in the wrong. If they are selling the tracks WITH their permission thats a totally different ball game. A song or track may take 50-100 hours to make, then more time to master / eq.

    What if you worked for 2 weeks and didn't get paid? you'd be a lil pissed too.

    Don't get me wrong, I believe the RIAA and MPAA are going after the WRONG people. Individuals are causing most of this havoc, companies are.

    Pssh, I wish cds were only $12 a cd. CD prices have SKY ROCKETED off the planet because of greed. They're more like $17 to $20 for 1 albumn. Even as a web store, I can't buy cds $2. (Can't even mass produce 1000 of them for that cheap either)

    Artists get respect from me for the QUALITY of there songs / tracks. Artist need to make some money too, but the RIAA are just in the left field and not doing whats best for the artists or consumers


    Quote:there are tons of ways to get free mp3's. there always will be. who cares about a this one site? there are trillions of websites out there, and plenty support illegal trading of music.
    by the way, $12 dollars a CD? they are more than that. the bottom line is artists don't care on the whole, the companies care. why would an artist care that a guy downloads their music, loves it, tells his friends, maybe they buy the CD, maybe not, but they will like the music and respect the artist. Respect, that's worth a trillion times more than money.

    30.11.2006 11:40 #10

  • garmoon

    @advent

    Quote:More bully boy tactics from the usa.
    It's about time the rest of the world governments found their backbone and told the usa to get stuffed.
    We only wish all the other governments who don't like our policies would tell us to stuff it. We could take care of our own! The problem is they love our MONEY more than their principles. Makes them worse than whores, who at least are honest enough to tell you they're gonna f**k you. JM2C

    And I know politics is frowned upon. But I'm not going to stand by silently after that comment!



    30.11.2006 12:01 #11

  • gtnheimer

    Thanks garmoon, I was hoping I'd see that comment. Seriously, if you bite the hand that feeds you (ie foreign companies infringing upon AMERICAN copyrights) what do you honestly expect? Too many people at this site are on some eurocentric communist high horse and don't realize w/out the US System, they'd all be Nazis/Commies right now (hey, but at least Big Brother would give you "music" and "movies" for free, they'd just all be in German or Russian, take your pick)

    Ok I'm done bashing Europe, I hate the RIAA, MPAA, etc like everyone else but like garmoon said if you just can't live without US Cultural Exports, deal with OUR rules like we do here in the US or just break the law and download illegally, whether it be cheaper or just free. Don't try and pull this middle-ground bullshit of "Well, the RIAA is just so bad and unfair, boohoo, so I'll just kinda break the law and claim it's legal and even if it isn't, it should be, so it's okay." There IS NO middle ground, follow the rules or illegally break them and "risk" punishment, and at least acknowledge the fact you're breaking the law.

    I don't know how many people know of the Dicks, Pussies, and Assholes metaphor from "Team America: World Police" but it's pretty apt here. Basically, America's a Dick, and it takes a Dick to fuck an asshole, no matter how a pussy may want to deal with it, and in this situation, Allofmp3 is the asshole and the pussies are the people who download from it and claim moral right and legality, and Uncle Sam is looking to fuck both of them, and judging history, he'll get the job done.

    I know I appear a typical American Dick, but I'm really not, in fact I'm quite liberal and really dislike many US Policies and Practices (and no copyrighting isn't one of them, it's necessary) but this forum needed a good dose of the American Fuck-Off-Realism that made the US the most powerful country in the world, whether you like it or not.

    30.11.2006 14:50 #12

  • garmoon

    @gtnheimer

    I, in no way, was sticking up for RIAA or MPAA, or the lawsuits they have filed. I'm all for p2p downloading.I was standing up for my country which gets bashed daily everywhere. We should go back to isolationism, close the worthless UN, and let the complainers feed the rest of the world. Let's see how long that would last! And you need to watch the profanity; it will get you into trouble. Since politics is forbidden, I'll not respond further.

    30.11.2006 15:46 #13

  • duckNrun

    Can you Allof bashers not read??? Or is it that you just can't comprehend the fact that other countries have a right to make th elaws that THEY want to live by?

    INSIDE RUSSIA there is nothing illegal about the site! And as for ripping people off for selling so cheaply... Russian yearly wages AVG about $4000 US which is about 10% of the average US income. Is it so suprising then that there products (in this case music) are about 10% the cost of US download service iTunes?

    As an American myself I get ticked off hearing other countries and the UN try to dictate OUR laws and policies... so why do YOU want to do the same to Russia?

    The site IS legal in Russia.
    Under US copyright law you are allowed to import a copyrighted product that you legally purchased from outside the US
    Since you buy the music from within Russia, the music you buy is housed in your personal space on the site within Russia and then you IMPORT it onto your PC or Ipod. The origional in your space is deleted and you are left with ONE copy...the one you legally bought in Russia and legally imported into the US

    Get a grip guys. If you feel like paying more money for your music from an American company then go for it!

    However, I like to OUTSOURCE my purchases (just like the companies outsource our jobs!) and spend my US dollars in the global economy to get ME the best deal as opposed to some multi-millionaire CEO and Music Label.

    30.11.2006 17:57 #14

  • Auslander

    excellent post, duckNrun.

    30.11.2006 19:07 #15

  • ZippyDSM

    duckNrun
    *builds a mini shrine and worships you*
    0_o

    30.11.2006 19:39 #16

  • duckNrun

    Don't forget to put up the collection plate at the door of the shrine ;-)

    30.11.2006 20:13 #17

  • Auslander

    better put a catch over it....i'm liable to reach my hand in and pluck some gas money out.

    30.11.2006 20:16 #18

  • duckNrun

    and while I'm here again..lol

    there is STILL a way to circumvent visa and mastercard's policy not to transfer funds to Allof for those who are interested.

    here is thread to read:

    http://blogs.allofmp3.com/...

    And here is the thread to the FAQ's from Allof concerning legality and such. Keep in mind that it's they're interpretation of the law but as someone who has dilligently read the same US copyright law as they are quoting I assure you that they're interpretation seems pretty accurate. But hey google the USC sections they list in the faq and see for yourself..

    http://www.allofmp3.com/press/centre.shtml?s=993&d=18191974


    Finally, it seems they found one more way to stick it to the RIAA.. they are alpha testing... STREAMING of their content to your PC.... FOR FREE LOL
    Of course you need a special player so that you can't steal the stream (lol with those of you are already seeing the ways around that!)

    30.11.2006 20:28 #19

  • Auslander

    praise be to them! i'm happy to see how strong they are standing.

    30.11.2006 20:37 #20

  • tefarko

    greedy corporations have been raping the customers for years... now bend over to P2P...

    1.12.2006 05:54 #21

  • Eisherz

    @duckNrun
    Do I get you right, that means their stream + audacity = free music?

    1.12.2006 07:04 #22

  • redrum

    For me it's not a choice between paying $.25 for a song or $15 for a cd. It's the difference between paying $2.50 for an album or not buying at all. As it turns out, I've spent more on music at allofmp3 in the last 2 years than I've spent on music in the last 40 years. My guess is that if the record labels would lower prices the pie would be so much larger that they would end up with MORE money. And one other thing. There aren't other sources of what allofmp3 offers, which is downloads at super high quality. And yes, on the right equipment you can really hear the difference.

    1.12.2006 07:43 #23

  • ZippyDSM

    redrum
    you could say the same about video games work a game fully dev it finish the coding to "complete" it then release it and OMG it will sale for years not just 3 or so months after launch and be forgotten...

    Logic and Corporations rarely walk hand and hand....its much easier for them to horde money and sue people and cry foul and rise prices so they don't have to show what money is going to than it is to slim down be innovative in price to maximize profit....

    1.12.2006 08:07 #24

  • ygor

    As someone that has been buying music for 45 years, there are a lot of issues that are left on the wayside as to why people buy illegal mp3's

    First off with today's music,there are only about ten songs a year worth paying for at all much less at full price. and of those, maybe two have been laid down by a good engineer, so it is listenable. the artists do not make money on recordings, period. they make it on touring. Example, The Stones are set to make over a half Billion on their current tour.

    Digital rights? what the hell is that anyway? if I buy a CD or DVD, it is my property to do with as I please. I am old enough to remember the entry of cassette tape and the VCR, and this was settled once with the Fair Use laws.

    The citizens of the world, should wake up to the fact that if these mega corporations are allowed to get away with this unlimited copyright stuff. You can kiss the idea of personal property goodbye, and that means everything, phone cars, computers, and as we are beginning to see here in the U.S. your home.

    1.12.2006 11:27 #25

  • ZippyDSM

    ygor
    Not quite you cant sell copies of it.
    you an however transfer backup archive and play ti how you want to play it as any media should be...

    1.12.2006 11:36 #26

  • Eisherz

    But I should atleast be allowed to make a copy for myself as a backup or rip the songs into mp3 to play them on my mp3-player and I should be allowed to do that the fastest, most quality-keeping way possible. I am not if that means I have to deal with the copy protection, meaning the only way I could make a backup of a cd I own is by using a software like audacity and make an analoge copy of a digital medium on a digital medium with a massive loss of quality and a waste of time.

    1.12.2006 12:14 #27

  • ygor

    Zip,
    according to the recent readings of the DMCL you can make no copies of the discs at all. You can not rip it to your computer, as that breaks the copy protection, and doing anything that breaks copy protection is a violation of the copyright law.

    I no longer buy CD's I search out Vinyl LP's, as of late more artists are releasing new stuff on vinyl.

    As an old fart, I remember when a copyright was only 17 years, and I remember in 1973 if you bought the then new VCS or BEta machine, the salesman warned you that you might get a visit from the FBI. In 1970 there was a nationwide arrest of people who had private movie collections of 16 and 35mm films.
    The actions of the Movie and music industry is not new, they fought the VCR, the dual cassete recorder, and anything that could be used to make copies. But their actions now are Facist to say the least.

    I am sorry to say this, but I support any action to break the power of the media giants. When one corporation controls music, film, newspapers, books, TV, cable, and the news, and are able to swing elections, personal opinion, religion, and everything you see and hear. Now the fight is on to control the internet.
    When they have that we are indeed screwed.

    1.12.2006 12:23 #28

  • ZippyDSM

    ygor
    Is it not the same with Vinyl?

    anyway I ignore their BS and use the basic fair use state of mind I can backup/archive for my personal use.

    1.12.2006 12:37 #29

  • ygor

    The Fair Use Law of 1974 allows you to make copies of copyrighted material for personal use, for instance I could tape an LP and give it to my son. Not sell, give.

    It is the wording of the DMCL that is the demon, under that wording it is illegal to watch a DVD, because the DVD player has to crack the security of the DVD to play it in analog.
    Strange!

    1.12.2006 12:44 #30

  • ZippyDSM

    ygor
    *L*
    pretty muh thus why I gave up on the DMCA.

    and use the basic fair use mindset any media can be backed up for personal use,wellll....any media you own ^_~ .

    1.12.2006 12:49 #31

  • advent

    The RIAA and the MPAA are a bunch of crooks and rule america like some
    modern day mafia.
    They buy laws and suppress competition by putting money into the
    right pockets.
    I agree artists should be payed for their talent and effort but there are better ways of doing it than via the riaa/mpaa, who keep a large
    percentage for themselves.
    Money talks, and in america money will buy you anything regardless of the right and wrongs.

    1.12.2006 14:26 #32

  • noknot

    I agree the MPAA and RIAA are a bunch of crooks. To charge someone $15 for a piece of plastic you can get for free after rebate (CD's) is crazy. I haven't bought a cd since napster. I just borrow from the biggest legal sahring service available, the PUBLIC LIBRARY. There's no anti copying protection there. All the libraries should be shut down due to their music and dvd sharing policies, but they won't. My local library has evrything i need and i can even copy the labels. MPAA and RIAA get a life, if we want it, we'll get it!!!

    1.12.2006 17:28 #33

  • MTLBeast

    ygor is my hero. And he's right.

    As a studio musician, I don't personally care who shares files or doesn't, although the people I work for do. And I can vouch for the fact that the ARTIST is probably the only person(s) who DOESN'T make money off the album sales. It's done with touring and merchandising (assuming you didn't sign THOSE rights away too) The label takes EVERYTHING else. Or as close to everything as you they can get, since slavery is technically illegal. As my lawyer friend once said (who works in the States) about a record contract he was shown:

    "This record contract is worse than slavery... Because you have to at least FEED a slave."

    He was Black, to get some perspective on that statement.

    So, download the music, share it with friends, visit my website, and come to my shows. Buy my T-shirts and my posters. I don't care if you don't have the CD, I didn't make money off it anyways. Either way, I win. And I don't worry about other people "stealing my intellectual property" since A) No self-respecting musician rips another's song and B) Only the board-room weasels would try, but their lawyers tell them not to, because I am still protected under law and would sue them blind. (Provided I dated the material) Indie, all the way.

    Just FYI, it was proven by the RIAA probe (in Canada, where I am) that downloading music has actually expanded the market base and created revenue for the major labels. Like ygor says, this fight has already been fought, many years ago, and they lost.

    So now they're fighting this. And they'll lose again. Or at best will claim a Pyrrhic Victory. God(s) Bless the Internet, the only truly FREE place on Earth.

    (And I remember the BETA-Max too, ygor...)

    2.12.2006 10:09 #34

  • rvlikens

    I would like for someone (one of you keyboard lawyers) to stop beating around the bush and lay it out on the line. Why would any of you post it's illegal to download from allofmp3? A customer is paying for music being sold by an overseas seller. You are "importing" goods no different then if it was coming with a "Made in China" tag on it. So, you pay a cheaper price. How are the masses expected to know it's wrong? Guess none of you ever went out side the U.S. and bought anything. Gee, I went to Canada a few years back, paid like 15 U.S. Dollars to stay at a Jelly Stone camp ground where in the U.S., it would have 40. I didn't have a bunch of guys in dark glassess on my door step ready to haul off my motorhome because of it nore did I see any crap on the net that it was WRONG WRONG WRONG to spend less for services or goods from outside the U.S. when you can stop off at KOA and spend 2 times as much. It will be interesting at least to see the RIAA try and sue someone who had a account with ALLOFMP3 for downloading music for which was paid for. I can see them now trying to get credit card records and instead of suing the big guy, going after some single mom who's 15 year old used a xmas visa card to sign up, buy songs, now getting sued. Our lobbied (bribed) justice system is a joke, our nations leadership is finally getting repaired/fixed and the internet is still operational.. 1 out 3 isn't bad I guess.

    4.12.2006 14:08 #35

  • rvlikens

    Oh, and one more item. I think that there should be no DVD's or recorded material period. The only way to hear music, go to a concert that way you know the artists are getting some of the money and the local govt is too. I think for movies, you have to go to the drive in or theather only. No more block buster, netflix or family video. That's the ONLY way the RIAA will be quite but I'm sure some way, they will claim they are loosing money because aliens are intercepting our signals and selling our music on the spacemarket far far away..

    4.12.2006 14:11 #36

  • ZippyDSM

    rvlikens
    like with link sang the corperations want to impose their regioning will and might where they see fit.

    its like doubling the price of a item in the UK from 20 US to 40 EU thats 80 US they want to stop all small time importers so that can make more money off less sales,it boggles the mind on how they think and act,you could be saleing world wide consoles and games via link but no just because they where going to try and sale a few doszen PS3s in the Euro market before you.

    Movies and music is the same the price keeps away msot if they sale it abit above cost they would double their rep sell more units and be making alittle less money than they are now.so they are using stale lazy mans logic "OMG if we raise min wage prices will go up and the enconimy will suffer"...ever think at worse if the min wage was doubled prices would go up but since people are making more things would not change much,and if things did not go up people would be buying more....


    I so love corporate logic less(sales) = more(money)


    Finaly I want to add the main reason that I doubt downloading is such a bad thing people who are willing to spend 100 a month for net and don't buy much wont buy new stuff even they had didn't have the net they would buy used to maximize their money so using corperate logic selling/buying/ trading used things is the most evil thing you can do.

    4.12.2006 14:29 #37

  • jhmblvd

    It appears as of December 4th allofMP3 is down. The site is up but you can't download. When trying to contact them I was told they were doing maintanance.

    5.12.2006 13:42 #38

  • ChappyTTV

    MTLBeast

    I LOVE YOU!!

    Well...not in "that" sense of the word, but your post (and nagr's too) is probably the most intelligent one I have read regarding this topic, in recent days here.
    I posted in another article here about the RIAA's lawsuit where a lawyer said that if they won it would essentially be the end of the Internet as it is.
    CRAP!

    But your insight as an insider of the music industry (I once was as well..musician & sound engineer) is refreshingly simple and straight forward. The same reasons you state are the reasons I also d'load torrents and seed them for awhile..it's not taking money from the artists at all...(for whom I completely support being paid for their work) since they don't make money from CD sales anyway.
    They make money from our support at their live performances and purchasing other merchandise like t-shirts at the concerts.
    Corporate greed and control is what we are all really fighting against here when we share thru P2P, we are just sick of their lack of morals in any dealings with artists or the public...they don't give a shit about anything but their bottom line and making the shareholders rich (richer than they are already that should read..)

    I'm also a Canadian and I own 3 copyrights myself so I understand very well why we have copyright protections and why they're needed in the first place. But the industries have just taken things too far in their quest for ever greater riches and this is our only way to fight back.
    We should ALL remember to support the artists themselves for ther hard work, by buying tickets to their concerts/shows when they come to our areas, this way at least we know THEY are getting this money and not the labels, and they know we support them and their work.

    So...SEED ON!
    I got an email from my ISP regarding the very high output my modem reported to them in their monthly reviews, and they asked that I cut back the amount of traffic or THEY will...I uploaded (well) OVER 70 G's in 20 days ;).....Ooopss...sorry (yah, right!)
    I now keep it just under 50 G's a month, which is the number they asked me to keep it to, to avoid an automatic throttle-back from their equipment.
    But to offset my sharing of music, I have also gone to 4 concerts in my province in the last 6 months and have plans to go to 5 or 6 more next year. I will ALWAYS support the Live Concerts when they come my way, to make sure the musicians actually get PAID for thier work. I have taken in well over 200 concerts since 1969 and have no plans to slow down anytime soon. Maybe I've even seen you MTLBeast, sometime in those journeys...never know!
    (sorry I rambled a bit there..)

    Long Live the "Live Show".... a Quick Painful Death to the RIAA & MPAA!

    16.12.2006 15:00 #39

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