RIAA targets Russian social network, cyber-lockers in report

RIAA submits report on "notorious markets".

First in the firing line for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was VKontakte, a Russian social networking website. It claims that the social site's unlicensed music service is undermining the growth of the legitimate music marketplace.

VKontakte touts more than 120 million registered users, and is ranked amongst the most visited websites within Russia, and also is listed among the top 50 globally.

The trade group said that VKontakte's music functionality is ?specifically designed to enable members to upload music and video files, hundreds of thousands of which contain unlicensed copyright works. Its dedicated content search engine enables other members to search and instantly stream unlicensed music and movies, giving VKontakte an unfair competitive edge over other social networks that do not offer free access to unlicensed material."

The RIAA also targeted China's Sogou website, which offers a "Sogou MP3" feature providing access to links to download or stream music from unlicensed sources. Dispelling any claim that it acts just as a search engine, the RIAA points out that Sogou maintains a database of unlicensed music, broken into categories such as "US Billboard Chart," "UK Chart," "Albums TOP 100" and so forth.

"What's particularly offensive about some of these companies is that they intentionally launch music services without any form of licensing as a cynical ploy to gain market share and make more money on the back of artists, labels, songwriters and everyone else involved in the music community," said Neil Turkewitz, Executive Vice President, International.

"Some of the firms we've highlighted have even announced plans to launch U.S.-based IPOs. No company dependent on a theft-based business model deserves the backing of the U.S. capital markets or the approval of the financial regulatory agencies."

The RIAA report also went further to highlight cyberlocker services, such as MegaUpload, which is claims are extensively involved in the storage and trading of copyright works, while pocketing significant advertising revenue.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 28 Oct 2011 9:16

Tristan_2

God Dammit! These People prove my point around them..NOW THEIR GOING AFTER WEBSITES THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO STREAM UNLICENSED COPYRIGHT WORKS??? The RIAA,THE MPAA and HOLLYWOOD Want MORE! Even if they get what they want they will try to shut down websites even if it let's you listen or stream just to Unlicensed Music and Movies. These People will want and get more and more power unless their regime of tyranny using Copyright as a weapon ends...these people need to get destroyed financially,they won't stop until they do!

28.10.2011 12:28 #1

LordRuss

@Tristan... My point exactly! These Nazis will stop at nothing to get that 'something for nothing check' & kill the artist to get it too. Not to mention, eat it off the corpse while their at it as well. As for me, I'm going Radiohead too... you go guys.

All I can say is the RIAA had best watch their greedy little asses marching around & pissing in the Russian pool over there. Those folks have a different way of playing around with big money & the RIAA don't want to get in that gangster bed.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

28.10.2011 12:49 #2

baxter00

RIAA messing with the Russians and Chinese. Can't wait to see how that story ends.

28.10.2011 22:22 #3

xtago

RIAA: hey you guys stop that
Russian Mafia: stop what we aren't doing anything bad
RIAA: yes you are you are stealing from me
Russian Mafia: well I can happily kill you so you won't have to worry about it anymore.
RIAA: gah, blah, dead
Russia Mafia: there ya go feel better now?

29.10.2011 05:06 #4

scorpNZ

Is it just me or does anyone else find this ironically funny when it comes from the RIAA,especially the bit about making more money off the artists

"What's particularly offensive about some of these companies is that they intentionally launch music services without any form of licensing as a cynical ploy to gain market share and make more money on the back of artists, labels, songwriters and everyone else involved in the music community"

http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/
http://www.elitemodscene.com/

29.10.2011 13:00 #5

LordRuss

Originally posted by scorpNZ: Is it just me or does anyone else find this ironically funny when it comes from the RIAA,especially the bit about making more money off the artists... Grimly egotistic, elitist, brass balls bigger than Jupiter's moon Ganymede, I would call it sardonic... Not to mention the fact, weren't these idiots crying about having 'no funds' because of running around like morons lobbying lawmakers when they should have been supposedly defending the supposed artists? Now they want to go jet-setting all over the globe playing the earths creative crusader?

I can't help but wonder what these idiots would do if you got a few thousand 'artists' in an arena with these RIAA pukes at the front... Let them state their case... you know, the whole powerpoint slide show & all and let them do their best to explain to these hard working folks how they "have their best interests in mind". Then right after they finish a Dee Schneider lookalike jumps up on a podium grabs a mike in one hand, his groin in another, the pyro goes off, huge scroll banners drop from both sides of the stage and he starts his Norma Ray chanting "UNION, UNION, UNION!!!"

It's a thought...

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

29.10.2011 13:31 #6

hearme0

Good luck losers from the RIAA or the MPAA!

China and Russia should and will simply tell you to F yourselves. Our laws don't apply there..........PERIOD.

31.10.2011 19:49 #7

LordRuss

Originally posted by hearme0: China and Russia should and will simply tell you to F yourselves. Our laws don't apply there..........PERIOD. I would say that about sums it up quite nicely...

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

1.11.2011 12:29 #8

buxtahuda

Quote:No company dependent on a theft-based business model deserves the backing of the U.S. capital markets or the approval of the financial regulatory agencies. Um... Can't believe no one else picked this up with the rest >.> Pretty much saying that they themselves deserve no existence in the US. I guess they've ruled themselves out since they're an "association" instead of a company?

2.11.2011 10:52 #9

LordRuss

Originally posted by buxtahudaUm... Can't believe no one else picked this up with the rest >.> Pretty much saying that they themselves deserve no existence in the US. I guess they've ruled themselves out since they're an "association" instead of a company? [/quote: I've been finding a lot of these organizations recently to be calling themselves "nonprofit" so as to disassociate themselves from that very thing. That way they can expunge themselves from the very sin they're committing. When in fact they're the biggest propagandizing prostitute of the bunch. Most of these organizations are also the very reason we have a failing market as well as they cause the shut down of small businesses & the loss of those jobs. But explaining that is for another forum & becomes wordy as hell.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

3.11.2011 11:58 #10

DADEO1

Originally posted by hearme0: Good luck losers from the RIAA or the MPAA!

China and Russia should and will simply tell you to F yourselves. Our laws don't apply there..........PERIOD. I hope your right. I'd like to be the one handing the RIAA and MPAA the memo.

4.11.2011 11:28 #11

Mez

This sounds interesting!

5.11.2011 10:41 #12

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