The British Phonographic Industry has sued the Russian MP3 download site, AllofMP3. The British Phonographic Industry is an organization much like the Recording Industry Association of America. The UK High Court has also given the BPI approval to pursue AllofMP3 in court. AllofMP3 is currently the second most popular online music download service in the United Kingdom behind only Apple"s iTunes, market watcher XTN Data reports. Just like in the United States, it is illegal for users in Britain to download songs through the controversial music service, but the BPI is not currently interested in pursuing music downloaders.
The legitimacy of the Russian MP3 download service has been debated in several nations over the past year. Russian, American and UK authorities have long questioned whether or not legal action should be taken against the site. In the company"s defense, AllofMP3.com claims that it has operated within Russia legally for the past six years. The music service is licensed by the the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (FAIR) and the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (Roms).
Music artists nor the record companies are making money through AllofMP3.com, according to BPI representatives. It is unknown what affect a win in the lawsuit would have on the site.