In even bigger news, the owner and founder of the Russian quasi-legal-for-everyone-but-their-customers digital music store, AllofMP3.com was found not guilty in a Russian court on charges of copy right infringement.
“The prosecution did not succeed in presenting persuasive evidence of his involvement in infringing copyright law,” said judge Yekaterina Sharapova
The site has been basically unworkable for American users for at least 6 months or more, as their credit card processor crippled the funding options in which to buy credits with. Credits were then used on the site to download cheap (on the order of 10¢ per song) MP3s of popular and major label releases.
All of MP3 complied with all applicable local laws, including paying royalties to the Russian equivalent of ASCAP and BMI. However, the RIAA and other industry folks used the World Trade Organization and other international trade groups to pressure the Russian government into doing something about it. This court case was a part of their response.
Even though AllofMP3 seems to be dead, all assets of the former company have been assigned to a new site: MP3sparks.com. Just the next step up in this cops-and-robbers approach to dealing with internet piracy.
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