A Russian court has cleared the former boss of now defunct music download site, allofmp3.com, of charges that he violated copyright law.

Denis Kvasov, former head of Media Services, the company that owns allofmp3.com ,was found not guilty of the charges put against him by major entertainment companies including EMI, NBC Universal and Time Warner.

The Russian court agreed with Kvasov’s defense that he was within the law, on the basis that Media Services had been paying part of its income to the copyright holders through the Russian Organization for Multimedia and Digital Systems (ROMS). AllOfMp3.com was duly licensed by the ROMS to offer paid mp3 downloads.

Despite paying its rights fees, allofmp3.com still upset western music companies because it sold its music for extremely low cost. Music companies have refused to accept the fees because they say ROMS does not really represent their interests.

The issue was further escalated when the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Russian Government signed an agreement that allofmp3 must be shut down as one of the conditions for Russia’s entry to the WTO. Media Services was pressured by the Russian government until it finally quietly closed allofmp3.

Not satisfied with the Russian court’s decision, the music companies represented by The International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI), have said they will appeal the court’s decision.  

The court’s finding has also raised questions about Russia’s commitment to fighting piracy, especially since pirated copies of music and film are still widely available in Russia.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 4:41 pm under Piracy.  Print This Post

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