Judge Rules Allofmp3 Not Guilty of Piracy
17th Aug 2007
The former boss of Russian download site allofmp3 was found not guilty by a Russian court of piracy.
The website allofmp3.com (currently offline) angered western music companies by undercutting the price of downloads. The Head of Media Services Denis Kvasov which owned the website was put on trial after some of the big entertainment companies EMI Group plc, NBC Universal and Time Warner pushed ahead for a prosecution.
Judge Yekaterina Sharapova said, “The prosecution did not succeed in presenting persuasive evidence of his involvement in infringing copyright law”.
"We are disappointed with the verdict and will appeal",
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) regional director Igor Pozhitkov told reporters.
At the height of its popularity allofmp3.com attracted millions of bargain-hunting music lovers across the world. It would typically sell the world's most popular tracks at a huge discount to U.S. competitors.
At the beginning of the year Global Credit Card companies stopped allowing customers to pay for music, and by July the website closed down.
Another Russian-based discount music Web site has since emerged www.mp3sparks.com, which is also owned by Media Services (welcome back).
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