COPYCENSE

“Rising consumer popularity is turning AllofMP3.com, a music downloading service based in Moscow, into a global Internet success story, except for one important detail: The site may well be illegal.

“So great is the official level of concern about AllofMP3 that U.S. trade negotiators darkly warned that the Web site could jeopardize Russia’s long- sought entry into the World Trade Organization.

“Operating through what music industry lobbyists say is a loophole in Russia’s copyright law, AllofMP3 offers a vast catalogue of music that includes artists not normally authorized for sale online — like the Beatles and Metallica — at a small fraction the cost of services like Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store. And unlike iTunes and other commercial services, songs purchased with AllofMP3’s downloading software have no restrictions on copying.”

Thomas Crampton. Allegations of Piracy Hit Popular Music Web Site. International Herald Tribune. June 2, 2006.

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