RSSUS Official: AllofMP3 Must Shut Down
By Ed Oswald | Published October 5, 2006, 11:43 AM
The United States is continuing to pressure Russia to shut down the music site allofmp3.com, with a top trade official saying Wednesday it would be hard to see the country being a member of the WTO with the site still operating in the country.
Calls for AllofMP3's demise are again surfacing as the two countries attempt to restart negotiations for Russia to enter the international trade group. Talks stalled in July after persistent disagreements related to agriculture and intellectual property issues.
Representatives from both Russia and the U.S. will meet in Geneva, Switzerland next week with a goal of having an agreement by the end of this month. However, it is likely a non-negotiable stipulation of the talks will be the shutting down of the music site.
AllofMP3 claims it has licenses from Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (ROMS) and the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (FAIR).
However, neither the U.S. nor Britain recognize those licenses, and the British music industry sued the site in July. Joining the WTO has been a publicly stated goal of Russian President Putin, and he has begun to talk about intellectual property rights issues in the country recently.
"The dialogue is continuing. We're making progress slowly but steadily and we'll see if we can get there," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab was quoted by Reuters as saying to reporters. "There's no guarantee that we'll get it done."
During last two years I use only
Lavamus.com. Huge archive of music of any direction. Songs on 10-30 cents. Has spent already the order of 500 dollars. I wish to learn, somebody used
Lavamus.com?
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|I have used allofmp3.com I do believe that it is not fair to the musicians. On the other hand if you go out and buy a preowned CD is that the same thing? I am on disability and i love music. I like allofmp3.com because the music comes with no strings attached. I have bought music from real and then i went from dial up to DSL and i could no longer use the music that i purchased from REAL to burn cds. I said to myself never again would i buy music from real. I have not. I tunes charges you 99 cents a track. Where you can buy an entire cd for a bit more with allofmp3.com It is sad how the music industry is forcing us to buy their music. I downloaded the red hot chili peppers new cd and you know what i only liked a couple of songs on it. The music they are making is not worth the selling price!
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|" I downloaded the red hot chili peppers new cd and you know what i only liked a couple of songs on it."
Isn't that what makes iTunes and similiar sites so good? You don't need to get the whole album, just buy the 3 songs you like. You can preview all of the songs, so you aren't buying blindly.
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|On the other hand if you go out and buy a preowned CD is that the same thing?
No. What would be the same thing is if someone bought a CD, copied it, and sold that copy to someone else. That's what the U.S. doesn't like that AllofMP3 is doing.
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|As far as the music industry is concerned though, it is like buying a preowned CD. Resold CD's money only go to three people, the original buyer and now seller of the CD, the reseller, the us government (taxes).
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|No. It's different.
When you buy a pre-owned CD, you are buying a license to listen to that music, as the original owner did. The recording industry was paid in full for that license exactly once. When sold again by the original buyer, that license is transferred (not copied) to one other individual.
It's completely different from the recording industry's standpoint.
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|In a word, Nuke 'em. We must do all we can to protect the RIAA. I noticed Foxfyre's comments re who purchases Rap. My friends, the demise of Christian Morality started, when naive young whites' started listening to hyped up blues at the time vinyl found it's marketing strategy. Freakin' disgraceful.
If you don't pay for it, well the Chinese have a more appropriate response than George 43's mates in Saudi Arabia, cap in the back of the scone. Then harvest the organs, so we righteous souls may retain our place on the pedestal!
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|you got it backwards my friend we must nuke the riaa for eliminating fair use. and price fixing.
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|AllofMP3 has clones anyway, GoMusic.ru (formerly MP3Search.ru) is a good example, almost the same website ...
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|Thank you. Now we know where to go in case they go under. I think there will always be clones, and clones of clones; it is impossible to kill AllOfMp3!!!
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|In Soviet Russia, mp3 downloads you.
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|YES!!!!!!!!!!
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|The WTO is over-rated anyway. It's just another forum for the economic powerhouses to bully smaller players. I just wish John Howard would stop bending over for Bush - why the **** do I want a DMCA in Australia? Moreover, why should we accept it with the MASSIVE tariffs on our meat in the US? Free trade my arse - the US is still a very protected market.
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|It seems more people are understanding the concept behind "free trade" imposed by those powerful countries. That's nice as will lead to a better understanding of who is who in this world.
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|While there's no question in my mind that what AllOfMP3 does is illegal, it's also the case that they have a large number of users willing to PAY for content that is not restricted by DRM.
The record companies (or publishing companies) should pay attention to this. I have no problem with artists (and/or the appropriate copyright holders) earning a decent return on their content but I simply won't by music that I can't play on every device or server that is for my personal use.
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|How is AllofMP3 illegal? If an artist is registered with ROMS then they are getting a fair profit from the sale of music on AllofMP3. The web site is only selling music from artists that are registered with ROMS. Since AllofMP3 is based entirely in Russia they are only required to follow Russian law.
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|Yep, they're legal in Russia - but I'm not in Russia. Clearly one of the issues is how to apply local/nation laws in an environment (internet) that does not obey physical restrictions.
I'd hate however for some laws to show up that would force ISPs to block access to certain IP addresses because the RIAA (say) has decreed they're pirates....while that wouldn't stop the small number of people who understand how the net works, it WOULD stop typical user.
Better to get companies to recognize that AllOfMP3 is selling something that people want and figure out how to make it legit.
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|I agree entirely. AllOfMp3 is a great site. People want sites like that, and maybe instead of shutting down, like they always default to, maybe they should negotiate a way to make it legal, such as future loyalty promises or watev.
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|The US has lost power, prestige, and any bargaining clout in every area regarding trade relations over the current administration. And with regard to copyrights and licensing, it's laughable that the US thinks it can impose its laws on another country, WTO or not. Russia is holding the full deck here, and as usual, the US will kowtow and be embarrassed.
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|Although I am an opponent of current so called "intellectual property" laws, and would like to see them abolished, in this case I think US government will get it's way and Russia will change it's laws and force AllofMP3 to pay RIAA (which will dramatically raise it's prices).
Russia, like China, is a country behind in development curve. They currently disregard copyrights because the period of "intellectual property" is still ahead of them. They want WTO membership and will clamp down "piracy" to get it.
Other countries, like Sweden, already passed that period and are on the way out. Those are the countries that need most support fighting off RIAA and US politicians RIAA bought.
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|Why exactly are you an opponent of intellectual property? If we cannot be rewarded for our creativity, what is there left?
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|The entitlement mentality is always representative of those who feel that they are entitled to benefit from the labor of others!
"Entitlement mentality" = a legtimate sounding rational for the "victim mentality"
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|Yes. That's why I always ask such people to justify their position - I've yet to see a reasonable response.
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|Because so called "intellectual property" concept is in direct conflict with the concept of freedom and I believe freedom is more important.
I believe I am within my rights when I make myself a copy of something my friend has (with his consent). We may discus ethics of such action, but ultimately I should have a right to do it if I decide so. If someone is unable to make a profit because of me exercising my rights, he should try to change his business model, not buy himself laws limiting my freedom.
I will give you an example. Imagine that tomorrow a device is invented which allows to make a copy of, let's say bread. The device itself is very cheap and makes instantaneous free copies of bread. What would you consider the reaction of BIAA (Bakers Industry Association of America) should be? If people are allowed to use this device BIAA can not continue to make profit using the same business model they used for decades. Should they try to buy the law which would make using such device illegal?
Such device for making a free instantaneous copies of information already exist. And so called "intellectual property" laws are making the use of such device illegal. Simply because someone's business model depends on people being unable to exercise their rights.
This conversation, like most before it, will no doubt fast degrade into hysterical cries like "creators should be rewarded", etc. And I agree they should. They just need to find a way to do it without limiting other people's freedom. And many of them are already doing that. Take for example Red Hat. A multi billion dollar corporation, which creates computer software, makes a lot of money from it, and does not rely on limiting people's freedom (allows anyone to make a free copy of it's software).
When people are allowed to make copies, only a particular business model (charge per copy) no longer works, not the concept of benefiting from creativity in general.
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|So, who is willing to bet the site is *not* owned, operated, or closely aligned with the Russian mafia? And you wonder why it's still up and running?
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|Russian mafia is integral part of Russian business, as well as Russian government and law enforcement.
Naturally AllofMP3 is no exception. So what?
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|who gives a s***? so they own and operate a legal company, isnt that good? better than the mafia running a prostitution ring right?
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|LOL
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|I can't understand why AllofMP3 is still in business anyway.
Shut. It. Down.
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|Thata like saying, why is piratebay still in business?
I'd say its basically because only tards in the US, UK, and Japan care about legitimacy. Russia and Swiss. can care less.
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|and just how do you suggest doing that? send US commando to raid their offices in moscow?
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|It doesn't seem very hard to understand to me.
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|Because idiots, primarily residing in the West, continue to support it!
Listening to the West complain about this is like listening to white middle class housewives complain about rap music; when 80%+ of the rap sales are by their own white suburban middle class kids!
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|So because the citizens break the law, the government shouldn't try to enforce it?
Explain that logic.
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|Ummm... Russia should have shut it down the first time complaints were made.
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|...its basically because only tards in the US, UK, and Japan care about legitimacy. Russia and Swiss. can care less.
Yeah. Everyone knows it's always the do-nothing, care-free parties that are right in any given situation.
Please try not to call three very large countries "tards." You'll tend to make a lot of enemies.
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|Coming from the country that created the kgb (and himself being an ex officer) it would seem like Putin would be able to just make the problem 'dissapear'. I guess the lag stems from the cabinet not wanting to show themselves as puppets on a string in succumbing to outside wants and needs.
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|...it would seem like Putin would be able to just make the problem 'dissapear'.
lol
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|I get what you're sayin', brother.
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|Otherwise, Britney can't afford her house and baby... boo hoo.
Look, I want artists to get paid. I do. But I thought file sharing was contained? (http://www.usatoday.com/...s/2006-06-12-riaa_x.htm)
If they're happy, what's the problem here? If the gubment wants to ban it, do what they did for online gambling, and make the banks enforce their financial laws.
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|Argue all you want about the artists.
This is about Russia selling a U.S.-owned good without proper licensing. Nothing more.
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|FYI , they claim they do have a licence.
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|RTFA
The U.S. does not recognize their so-called "license" as valid.
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|...
As a last resort there's always the Nuclear Option
to rid the former Soviet Union of allofmp3.com.
If President Reagan had authorized a preemptive
nuclear strike against Russia, we ~wouldn't~ have
an AllofMP3 problem today !
...
The Computer Rodent
...
"Share a file /
Get nuked !"
...
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|Pardon me, but it seems like my sarcasm detector seems malfunctioning today, could you help me tweak it?
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|...
"Pardon me, but
it seems like my
sarcasm detector
seems malfunctioning
today"
...
No, your Sarcasm Detector seems to be functioning
just fine.
...
The Computer Rodent
...
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|Boys... Boys .. chill out.
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|Sorry, I didn't get it.
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|If it looks like a Troll,
Smells like a Troll,
and tastes like a Troll.....
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|We sure wouldn't, because we'd all be dead.
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|You eat trolls?
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|You do make me laugh sometimes. I wonder if we really did have enough nukes to cause an ice age. That would have been a good way to find out.
Now regarding hindsight... perhaps the CIA shouldn't have trained Osama Bin Laden to kill 8000 Americans? :p
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|Wow, that sounds like a first. Pressuring a countries political interests by lobbying against forbidden internet content.
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|...
"Wow, that sounds
like a first.
Pressuring a countries
political interests by
lobbying against
forbidden internet
content."
...
The U.S. has applied similar pressure against
China vis-a-vis the WTO for illegal software.
The principle is the same.
...
The Computer Rodent
...
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|Pretty funny, US and Britain acting like Lars Ulrich.
LOL, just saw what this damn website is all about. $3 full albums, still too expensive for my cheap tush, but I can see why US wants to slit Russias throat.
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|Yes, but it's interesting how they don't apply the logic across the board. The US has applied bugger all pressure for illegal software in South America - yet many South American countries are in the WTO.
I wonder what the difference is?
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|Since China has just completed their 5 year WTO probation period, the 'pressure' means little.
China provides slave labor for the Walmarts of the world. Russia provides oil and gas.
Nobody is going to actually do squat about either country's practice.
Personally, I like the site and here in China, I'm happy to go get anything on DVD for about 20 RMB (about US$2.5)
Movies, music, software.
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|I would venture to offer a one-word guess:
"Volume?"
How bad do you think the piracy situation is in China versus South American countries?
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|