US muscles AllofMP3.com
p2p news / p2pnet: The Bush administration has substantially stepped up its support of efforts to halt downloads not previously approved by the entertainment and software cartels, with Russia’s AllofMP3.com as the most visible current target.
American trade negotiators have, “darkly warned that the Web site could jeopardize Russia’s long-sought entry into the World Trade Organization,” says the New York Times.
“Rising consumer popularity is turning AllofMP3.com, a music downloading service based in Moscow, into a global Internet success story, but with a catch,” it says. “The site may well be illegal.”
On the other hand, it may also be perfectly legal, as its owners, MediaServices, claim.
However, over in the US, “So great is the official level of concern about AllofMP3 that United States trade negotiators warned that the Web site could jeopardize Russia’s long-sought entry into the World Trade Organization,” says the NYT.
“It is totally unprecedented to have a pirate site operating so openly for so long,” says the RIAA’s (Recording Industry Association of America) Neil Turkewitz.
The RIAA, owned by the Big Four Organized Music members Warner Music, Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal and EMI , has no presence in Russia.
The Big Four are currently being investigated in the US at both state and federal levels and Sony BMG recently ‘settled‘ lawsuits lodged against it for secreting dangerous (to users’ computers) DRM spyware on music CDs.
Digg this story.
Also See:
New York Times – On a Russian Site, Cheap Songs With a Backbeat of Illegality, June 4, 2006
perfectly legal – AllofMP3.com under attack, May 27, 2006
settled – Sony BMG spyware settlement, May 23, 2006
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June 5th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
“It is totally unprecedented to have a pirate site operating so openly for so long,” says the RIAA’s (Recording Industry Association of America) Neil Turkewitz.
Funny, you guys represent companies that have been breaking the law for decades and it doesn’t stop you from continuing on business as usual.
Why would United States government officials be taking advice from known criminals?
This seems to be a pot the size of Texas calling the 2 oz tea kettle black.
June 5th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
The US flexing to force another country to do it’s bidding hopefully will show other countries why WIPO is a bad idea. Keep showing your true colors, coporate states of amerika.
June 5th, 2006 at 6:38 pm
how ridiculous can you be? Is there nothing more pressing than a site that is operating legally? So what that the RIAA says AllofMP3 is illegal. If they told you they were all about the customers, and making them happy, would you believe them then?
This just proves that this country is not run by the people for the people. This country is run by the big corporations, for the big corporations.
I’m typically take a republican view of politics, but if G.W. had any respect left w/ the American people, he lost it with this frickin stunt. Unbelievable.
June 5th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
-= Disclaimer: This is just my opinion. =-
- As such I’m NOT suggesting any comment -
- following this preface is true. In fact -
- I live in a fairy-tale and nothing I -
- say should be taken seriously. -
Don’t blame it ALL on Bush ( didn’t vote for him OR Kerry )
I and some other folk ( some of them regulars here as well ),
spent some “quality time” at the Kerry site during the elections.
ANY negative questions about WIPO got you banned .. quickly.
By checking the Open Secrets website, we found that “Big
Corporate” and “Big Media” had nearly as much money invested in
Kerry as they did in Bush.
This says, to me at least, that current Dem AND Rep are
“figureheads” for the SAME corporate control. It doesn’t really
matter to the rich folks pulling the strings which of the two get
elected, as long as one of the two get elected. A nice way of
stacking the deck.
In the upcoming elections …
Look VERY CAREFULLY at ALL the candidates.
Vote for who you REALLY believe in be he Dem Rep Lib Ind
or anything.
Don’t vote Dem just because you fear Bush.
Vote your true beliefs, not out of fear.
June 5th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
“Vote your true beliefs, not out of fear.”
Exactly! We are in a very dangerous period of history here in the US.
President John F. Kennedy hit the nail square on the head when he said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself!”
Because we are in such a precarious political position we MUST be EXTREMELY CAREFUL in who we choose to vote for. We MUST look beyond Party Lines to the Individual Platform candidates TRULY stand for, not just what they SAY, but what they have done in the far past as well as the near past.
June 5th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
make all the internation “friends” he wants! That’s the ONLY way the US is going to learn that it can’t control the world!
Hitler thought he could and found out otherwise, so will BushCo!!!
June 5th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Pirate site? Illegal?? According to Russia the site is legal. The RIAA lost their credibility so long ago. Anything they don’t like they label “illegal” whether it actually is or not. This word carries no weight when coming from their mouths. I believe the **AA’s are illegal!! If there’s anything “illegal” going on, it’s coming from them themselves. Extortion, blackmail, racketeering, bribery… just look at what there counterparts did in Sweden last week. It’s all looking quite illegal, and not in fabricated terms.
These organizations need to be crushed. They serve no benefit to anyone but themselves. Their pay services would never work in Russia in the first place. The people simply can’t afford it. One CD/DVD at their prices would be half a month’s income for alot of people. I don’t believe for one minute that Russia is gonna cave in to these assholes, and they shouldn’t. It’s their country, their laws, and if their laws are not being broken as they are written, they should give the RIAA a nice big “Fuck You!” just like the Pirate Bay gave the MPAA in the past week. This attempt at corporate world domination MUST end.
June 6th, 2006 at 2:13 am
That was FDR.
June 6th, 2006 at 2:44 am
They can live without WTO or other similar organizations.
June 6th, 2006 at 2:46 am
I think we all can live without WIPO
June 6th, 2006 at 4:51 am
but AllofMP3 seems to be perfectly legal under Russian law.
I believe the RIAA tried “flexing” in Sweden recently and it didn’t work out too well…
June 6th, 2006 at 8:38 am
not much different to the behaviour of web site publishers who chose who and when to vilify someone and then chose how they will conceal any oppostion for their position by deleting it altogether, ah the internet and free speech (for some)
June 6th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
..