An online music seller has been forced to raise its prices after settling out of court with the music industry in a row over imported CDs.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and CD-Wow! were due to have gone to court in two weeks' time.

story from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3416437.stm

CD-Wow! had been accused of violating UK copyright law by importing cheaper CDs from outside Europe to the UK.

The retailer says it will now raise UK CD prices by £2 as it will have to buy more expensive CDs from Europe.

"I am delighted that we have been able to resolve this case on agreed terms," BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said.

The BPI and CD-Wow! released a joint statement after the settlement was reached.

"The record industry claimed that CD Wow! was obtaining sound recordings from outside Europe and selling them to UK and Irish consumers," the statement said.

"As a result of the settlement CD Wow! has agreed that it will not sell CDs that have been first placed on the market outside Europe to UK and Irish customers.

"It will only sell CDs that have first been placed on the European market to UK and Irish customers. All other details of the settlement are confidential," it said.


CD-Wow! currently charges £8.99 for a CD in the Top 75 albums chart, but will now have to add a £2 surcharge to any CDs delivered in the UK or Ireland from this Sunday, director Philip Robinson told BBC News Online.

The BPI would not comment on the impact the settlement would have on UK consumers who had been using CD-Wow!.

He said the company had decided to settle because they were "a small business" and it would be financially "imprudent" for them to try and take the case to the Court of Appeal or the European Court.

Mr Robinson also said all of CD-Wow!'s products had been brought from record companies around the world, and did not include pirated material.

"We got our CDs from wherever we could, but they were always record company product and legitimate. There was never any question of piracy," he said.

CD-Wow! has more than one million users a month worldwide.

The BPI is also investigating online retailer Amazon to see whether it is importing CDs from outside Europe.

"If we find a net retailer is importing music from outside Europe, then they are infringing copyright law," a spokesman said.

Ah, the record company cabal strikes again to screw consumers.

Price fixing, suing customers, & now limiting where a company can purchase their inventory to sell in a given market.

What happens if people stop buying the "expensive" cds? The "retailer" will be forced into bankruptcy, while the recording industry moves on finding other victims to flip upside down, and shake money out of their pockets.

"If we find a net retailer is importing music from outside Europe, then they are infringing copyright law," a spokesman said.

Will these people stop at nothing? their own product, bought and paid for - legally - but as the UK arm don't get their cut it's "infringing copyright law".

It seems to me that no unauthorised COPY has been made so how can they claim copyright infringement? They're just pissed off that retailers have found a way around the astronomical prices they charge over here!

This is NOT what copyright law was created for. Copyright infringement? Of WHAT, their own CD's, but manufactured somewhere other than EUROPE! What a bunch a crap that is!!! Anything to get the prices fixed higher. I suggest NO ONE buy from CD Now! Better yet, continue our complete boycott of ALL RIAA products!!!

Fuck it. I'm not buying anymore CD's... period. This price fixing is some bullshit. We're really dealing with the mafia on this one. Problem is that our government is this mafia's bitch.

Guess we have to fight fire with fire. They want to fix prices? We bootleg and boycott more of their music.

What we need is $$ if we're going to fight the RIAA/BPI on their turf. We also need to somehow mobilize everyone who has been sued to fight these bastards in court. Imagine, if all 700+ people who have been sued decided to go to court simultaneously, imagine the negative press and financial pressure the cartel would have to deal with.

People are literally getting intimidated into buying price-fixed CD's. There aren't nearly enough people boycotting to put any significant financial dent into the RIAA's pocket. The average Joe Sixpack is completely oblivious to all the bullshit going on.

Why hasn't anyone taken to the streets in this manner. If anyone who commonly writes into these message boards is really upset, then they should go to their local CD retailer and start protesting. If enough people did this, at least enough to make more people aware of how immoral the practices of the RIAA are, then a difference can be made.

If enough people donate to a common legal defense fund for all 700+ people who have been sued to go fight in court instead of settle, our voices can be heard somewhere other than on this website.

If you think cd price-fixing is bad, you might wanna read this article in the NY times about textbook price gouging in the US and Canada.

Similar kinda rip offs that have been going on. http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2003/nytimes/200310/20031021books.html

Maybe RIAA will now sue BPI for loss of sales!!!!!!

I am delighted that we have been able to resolve this case on agreed terms," BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said.

of course they're delighted. they don't have to risk a court striking them down. sucessful extortion is always preferable

"The BPI is also investigating online retailer Amazon to see whether it is importing CDs from outside Europe. "

Picking on the smaller businesses will net you settlements, but going after the big boys? You about to get a-whooping! Sorry but if a company can legally buy a product cheaper at one place then another, they're going to buy from the cheaper place. Assuming it's all legit retailers (appears it is in the CD-Wow case) then the BPI, RIAA, or whoever has no right to say you have to pay THEM for it and for more.

Free enterprise my ass...

nyer82,

Oyeah, I know all about the textbook scam. Get your international editions now before they become illegal to have as well! Talk about Ministry of Information.. this is really sickening.

Here's a thought. How can anyone argue that sharing mp3's is copyright infringment. Isn't an mp3 a compressed (lossy at that) version of the original song track? That being the case, how in the hell can anyone call it a copy?

The bullshit pile is growing.

That's like the Microsoft case vs. Mike Rowe... anyone who thinks that MS's lawsuit is frivilous should think the same thing about the RIAA lawsuits. Just because a phrase or a song sounds like something esle, doesn't mean that it's infringement.

Guess we have to fight fire with fire. They want to fix prices? We bootleg and boycott more of their music.

Or... we could just boycott and not even download RIAA crap.

Boycott by not buying the originals; But by all means, download and share the mp3 versions of those albums.

If a friend of yours inquires about a new cd, get it for him; a nice burned "pirate" copy, instead of the original. Don't allow your friend to spend his good hard earned cash for the riaa. Instead, suggest he buy a nice stack of blank cdrs (data ones, so the riaa gets no tax money) and you'll burn him all the damn music he wants. He buys the blanks.

There's no reason to deprive yourself of riaa music, it's not all bad. I personally love Led Zeppelin.. even tho he's with a record label. I just won't spend money for the cds. I'll borrow the originals from someplace and rip them for sharing instead.

RaidHHI, it just seems to me that you would just be playing into and strengthening riaa's disinformation campaign by continuing to share out their music. You may feel differently of course, but that's what keeps me from doing as you say out of sheer frustration with these dinosaurs. This is a great time to start giving independents a listen. When I'm in the mood to look for newer music I haven't heard yet, I hit up dmusic or IUMA. Some of that stuff is pretty good. Of course, not much of it can be called 'popular' by most people's imaginations, but then again I've always liked relatively obscure stuff anyway. I think I had a point when I started, but I've forgotten.

Yeah! Go getem' boys! Got smack down all those dastardly importers. Pure evil the lot of them. Can't have people being smart shoppers now can we.

this is not a copyright case, this is trust activity plain and simple. I see i may have a harder time after the prolonged battles regarding p2p getting those damn region codes off my dvds! Apparently the governments support intentional market fragmentation for the purpose of maximizing price in each region.

Well think about it... If there was no codes then everybody would get LEGAL copies from Mexico, China, and any other poor country.

Still sounds like the MAFIA to me Each has their own region!!!!!!!!!!!