By Sam Varghese
May 17, 2004

A Russian website which is selling music online is doing so illegally, without the authorisation of the copyright holders, the general manager of the enforcement arm of the Australian record industry claims.

Michael Speck, general manager of Music Industry Piracy Investigations, said the website www.allofmp3.com was an illegal one. "The offered downloads are without the authorisation of the respective rights holders and therefore infringe copyright," he said.

The site sells music by the megabyte, at the rate of 500 MB for $US5.

Speck said the "so-called collecting society" (ROMS or Russian Organisation for Multimedia and Digital Systems) had never had the authority to license sound recordings from record producing members of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

"ROMS did have an earlier agreement with RAO (the authors' collecting society in Russia) and RPA (the record producers' collecting society in Russia) but it was terminated and is not relevant," Speck said.

"There is nothing then, in the way of authorisation from the copyright owners or in Russian law, that allows the website in question to legally offer the downloads in question."

Speck said that purporting to have a licence or authorisation was a standard operating procedure for commercial pirates "and generally anyone who hopes to get away with the use of someone else's work."

Comment was sought from allofmp3.com on May 7. There has been no response.

story here
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/17/1084646114240.html

I didn't know Austrailian law applied in Russia?

boggieman I was thinking the same thing. I'm still waiting to hear a Russian court rule on it.

The Recording industry also said downloading was illegal in Canada too until the courts ruled just the oppisite.

So if it is illegal, what are they going to do about it? Lawyers from the RIAA already visited ROMS recently and they were told to leave.

I suspected so, for one the price is just unorthadox for the riaa and when I questioned the music site they never replied.

By that logic, the RIAA could say Filesharing is illegal in Canada.

This is the reason why we have borders, to prevent stupid F**ks like MIPI making stuff illegal in other nations.

I never believed that the industry gave them permission or licensee to sell the music. my question is, and always has been, is it in violation of RUSSIAN law. that's why I'm waiting to see what a Russian court does.

Any rouge nation who wants to snub their nose at the west can make it perfectly legal to bootleg any music or video file in their own country. then it would be perfectly legal. I'm suprised some of the Arab states or perhaps N. Korea hasn't done something like that and tell us, "what are you gonna do about it."

another reason these globalist a-holes are pushing for international treaties on IP law, so they can sue you across national boundaries.

ya know if you compare allofmp3 to napster, itunes, and anyone else, their site is far superior in service and selection.

Since when does any clown from Austrailia have any bearing on anything outside Aussie borders? And besides how would MIPI know? Allofmp3/ clubmp3.ru are not Kazaa, they cannot monitor you.

I believe many of the other countries (China, Palestine, countries in Africa) do not pay much attention to copyright.

"ya know if you compare allofmp3 to napster, itunes, and anyone else, their site is far superior in service and selection."

No shit. That's because they don't get licenses from the copyright holders and they don't pay royalties.

so?

At this point Mroop I dont give a shit about the RIAA or their fucking Artists These bastards have worked together to keep indie artists off the radio with their PAYOLA and have FIXED the Game so indies dont stand much of a chance of making it so I hope that all of MP3 .com becomes HUGE and lets see the mighty RIAA do something about it !!!! Bunch of Pussies all they can do is hassle old people and Kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"so?"

The Friend Of The Artists has spoken. : )

yep since you support the recording industry you mean to tell us you support the artists? what a hypocryte

maybe according to the great mroop we should just fold up shop and let the industry have it's way. after all we know they are the champion of the artists too.

Your thought process, or should I say lack thereof, boggles the mind.

It's just fine by you if allofmp3.com sells the music of independent artists without their consent and without paying royalties. You have no problem with allofmp3.com robbing independent artists. You are a true champion of the independent artists. They should send you a thank you note and some flowers.

well if you honestly think playing the recording industries game will help the artists any better, then your thought process is even more screwed up.

Actually It's really a good thing that you are such an ass. it really helps our cause. the more the recording industry and dumb ass nazi clones like yourself spout off, the angrier and more determined it makes those in the cause.

the whole point of this thread wasn't weather allofmp3.com pays the artists, it was weather some jerk in Australia can say something is illegal in another country before a court in that country has the option to decide. If we had it your way we would abolish courts and just have you sit as supreme lawgiver where we all have to bow down to your greatness.

besides my thought process isn't to debate this issue with you. it's to tell you what an ass you are. and if that means to play devils advocate then I will.

Since when does the RIAA play by any rules oh yea their Rules BUY everyone off!!!!! Fix the game for their side and to hell with flesh and blood people.

"boggieman I was thinking the same thing. I'm still waiting to hear a Russian court rule on it.

The Recording industry also said downloading was illegal in Canada too until the courts ruled just the oppisite."

they still say its "illegal" in canada.. because theyre "going to" [try to] pass laws banning it

"Your thought process, or should I say lack thereof, boggles the mind.

It's just fine by you if allofmp3.com sells the music of independent artists without their consent and without paying royalties. You have no problem with allofmp3.com robbing independent artists."

once again.. it is time to look up the definition of theft, and, my good lawyer.. stay on your side! i'm the economist here, and competition or market forces which affect demand, elasticity of demand, or consumer expectations are NOT THEFT!

your new definition of theft is very convenient.. you cannot take the idea you are reading right now from me because ideas cannot be "stolen" unless you find the area of the brain in which it is stored and perform a lobotomy.

I do believe there were a few other regimes which strove to control ideology, art, and religion.

a. stallinist(sp?) russia.
b. nazi germany.

I have used this site. I thught it was legal. I thought the artist was being paid. If this is not true I will not use the site again.

~_~ it is true, theyre just not paying the corporate fat cats enough. according to their laws theyre paying proper royalties.

i guess the industry's idea of "the artist" is the con artist who managed to jilt the musicians.

Unless the RIAA can get virtually all nations to abide by the copyright laws which prevail in the US, it seems to me like the only way that sites like allofmp3 can be stopped is to somehow shut down the internet. I wonder how many lawmakers would support something like that?

The RIAA and the other world initials are all stupid anyway.

"Duh, we's getting paid money fors our songs, but we's not thinking it's enuff. We's not wanting all the music for what people can get it so we's suing everyone who listens."