'Legal okay' for Russian MP3 site

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Tuesday, March 8, 2005

'Legal okay' for Russian MP3 site

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A Russian website offering MP3 tracks for sale has been cleared of breaching copyright laws, say reports.

Last month the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI) urged Russian authorities to take action against AllofMP3.com.

But Moscow prosecutors will not take legal action because Russian copyright laws do not cover digital media, according to news agency Tass.

The IFPI said it would fight the ruling if the Tass report was correct.

In a posting on its website AllofMP3 said the service was legal and that it was licensed to sell the MP3 tracks by the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society.

But the IFPI said the site was "unlicensed to distribute our members' repertoire inside Russia and in all major markets".

According to Tass, prosecutors had decided not to pursue with legal action because Russian copyright laws only cover physical media such as CDs or DVDs and not digital files such as MP3s.

"We have received no confirmation of any decision and we do not expect it for some time," a spokeswoman for the IFPI said.

"However if it is true that the prosecutor has not taken the case this would be very disappointing considering the blatant and large-scale infringement that continues to take place. "If these reports are confirmed we will take the case further."