Newsgroup: it.hobby.hi-fi
Titolo: ALLO FMP3

Mediaservices, the owner of the controversial music download site
AllofMP3, will pursue "every avenue" to overturn the decisions of Visa
and Mastercard to stop processing payments to the company.
In a statement today, the Russian company said the blacklisting was
"arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory". Visa and Mastercard had no
authority to judge the legality of AllofMP3's services, and their
"determination that the company's activities were illegal is patently
erroneous and without legal merit", it said. "AllofMP3 has not been
found by any court in the world to be in violation of any law...To
disqualify AllofMP3 based on a payment processing company's whim is
irresponsible and sets a bad precedence."
Click here to find out more!
AllofMP3 is under fire from the world's music industry for selling
music downloads at knockdown prices without the authorisation of
copyright holders. According to industry estimates, the company turns
over £20m a year and is the UK's second most popular music download
site, behind iTunes, with 14 per cent market share. The hugely popular
service says it complies with Russian law.
"Visa and MasterCard should immediately re-qualify AllofMP3," said
Vadim Mamotin, Director General of Mediaservices. "There is no valid
reason and absolutely no legal basis for the action."
Yesterday, Visa said it would no longer deal with AllofMP3, to reflect
"legislation passed in Russia and with basic international copyright
and intellectual property norms".
AllofMP3 claims Visa has "misinterpreted the new copyright laws
because they do not require AllofMP3 to alter its business model. The
new copyright laws do not prevent the online sale of music".
Today, Mastercard followed suit (although some Mastercard- carrying
Reg readers report an inability to upload credits into their AllofMP3
accounts since July). It said it "does not tolerate the use of its
network for illegal activity".
AllofMP3 replies: "If that is the basis for the company's decision,
MasterCard's decision makes absolutely no sense since the company is a
lawful business enterprise." ®

Controversial music website Allofmp3.com is being sued by a collection
of record labels. The suit has been filed in a New York court against
the Moscow firm, which claims that it abides by Russian law.
"Defendant's entire business amounts to nothing more than a massive
infringement of plaintiffs' exclusive rights under the Copyright Act
and New York law," says the law suit.
Click here to find out more!
Arista, Warner Brothers, Capitol and Universal are among the major
companies behind the suit. It claims that Allofmp3.com profits by
selling music which they own the rights to without their permission
and without compensation.
When an online retailer sells music it typically pays royalties to
artists via a collecting society such as the Performing Rights Society
(PRS) or the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS).
Allofmp3.com says it follows Russian copyright law and pays royalties
to a Russian collecting society, the Russian Multimedia and Internet
Society (ROMS). Record industry body the International Federation of
Phonographic Industries (IFPI) says the collecting society does not
pay artists or record labels any of those royalties.
ROMS itself says the site is legal because it licenses it.
"Allofmp3.com's activity is quite legitimate," ROMS general director
Oleg Nezus told BBC Russia earlier this year. "The opinion of foreign
copyright owners is just that - their opinion."
The website sells mp3s of popular music at a steep discount to normal
prices. An album which would cost around £6 on iTunes costs just 60p
on Allofmp3.com, and the site is the second biggest paid download
destination for UK users, behind Apple's iTunes.
The lawsuit is being pursued against Mediaservices, the company behind
Allofmp3.com. It seeks a court order against the company and also
punitive and compensatory damages. UK music body the BPI is already
suing Mediaservices in the English courts.
Earlier this year credit card companies Visa and Mastercard stopped
processing payments to the site because of the alleged infringements.
Copyright © 2006, OUT-LAW.com

Allofmp3.com pulled out its hired violins today to woo the press with
a sad song about a hard done-by web site just trying to make its way
in a temporarily legal world.
An attorney and PR representative for the Russian music site claimed,
during a press conference, that the world has ganged up on
Allofmp3.com. The site remains legal, despite what you may read in the
press, and will march on, despite Russian government officials saying
they plan to shut it and similar services down.
Click here to find out more!
"I see over and over again things that go into the press that kind of
get some aspects of this wrong," said John Kheit (sounds like meat),
an attorney with Chadbourne and Parke (sounds like will work for
mysterious Russian software engineers who refuse to speak with the
press because of their poor English . . .), who is representing
Allofmp3.com. "In fact, it is legal to access this service from the
US, and that is a pretty big deal."
The Allofmp3.com matter isn't your average suing an illiterate 12-year-
old girl without a computer digital music rights squabble.
It turns out that the US has threatened to block Russia's WTO bid
unless the hockey lovers really stick it to the digital entertainment
pirates. And so Russian officials this month vowed to "investigate and
prosecute companies that illegally distribute copyright works on the
internet." That bold promise let to stories this week such as "Russia
agrees to shut down Allofmp3.com."
If, however, you go to Allofmp3.com today, you'll find it very much
operational.
"No one has contacted Allofmp3 saying, 'You will be shutdown' or
anything like that," Kheit (sounds like feet) said.
That's because the site continues to function under the same Russian
law that has always allowed it to sell the copyrighted works of
others. The company simply donates 15 per cent of its profits to a
"licensing society" fund, and that money then makes its way to
artists, as far as anyone knows.
Allofmp3.com may have to change its ways by next June when the law
surrounding its service comes under review. But, until then, the site
will keep on humming away, according to Kheit.
"The reason (the RIAA and others) couldn't stop this is because it's
outright legal," he said.
The service faces more immediate challenges than the law book-thumping
of politicos. Visa and Mastercard have refused to facilitate payments
to the site, although you can still use other credit cards and XROST
prepaid iCards.
"(The credit card ban) has not had a significant impact," said
Allofmp3.com spokesman Rory Davenport.
You have to like the spunk - the US kind - of Allofmp3.com parent
company Mediaservices, which is looking into taking legal action
against Visa and Mastercard for their "arbitrary, capricious and
discriminatory" decision.
What you don't have to admire is the whining by Kheit about
Allofmp3.com's portrayal in the press.
"Here is a company that is following the law, and it doesn't get a
break in the press," Kheit said, and then added that "if they wanted
to swindle stuff" they could.
Apparently, you're to admire Allofmp3.com for contributing to the
artists' copyright fund when it could be swindling copyright holders
and blowing the cash on coke or whatever Russians like these days.
"It is fighting the good fight here," Kheit (sounds like receipt)
said.
It does seem that Allofmp3.com has every right to keep operating under
current Russian law, and the company has agreed to change its ways if
the laws mutate. We're not sure that's the good fight, but it's a
fight of sorts, especially with the heavies making their WTO play.
To Kheit's almost point, Allofmp3.com looks like an angel when
compared to the child-suing RIAA, but the PR niceties don't extend
much beyond there. ®

 ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:1173344576....@s48g2000cws.googlegroups.com...
Allofmp3.com pulled out its hired violins today to woo the press with
a sad song about a hard done-by web site just trying to make its way
in a temporarily legal world.
Ci sono articoli sull'argomento (in italiano) anche su 
www.punto-informatico.it
, cercateli negli archivi se vi interessano.
Ma noi che ci facciamo con gli MP3 ? Ci ascoltiamo le ignobili canzonette 
del festival di Sanremo  ?
Ciao
-- 
Luca Franzesi
luf...@f2n.it

 ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:1173343375.7...@v33g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
Mediaservices, the .............................
[CUT]
SIAMO IN ITALIA!!!!!
Vorrei farti presente che se hai qualcosa da far notare su un NG italiano 
dovresti farlo in ITALIANO.
Non perché molti non conoscono l'inglese, ma per una questione di rispetto 
per tutti e soprattutto per la TUA lingua.
-- 
Ciao
Deimos